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FISHING • HUNTING • NEWS NWSPORTSMANMAG.COM

ALSO INSIDE

North Jetty Rockfish Banks Lake Walleye Oregon Steelhead

SHOOTERS, STAY SHARP Columbia Basin Rock Doves

Scope Mounting Secrets

ODFW Hunting Contest

BONUS Dishonor Roll

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Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 11 • Issue 9 PUBLISHER James R. Baker

Your Complete Hunting, Boating, Fishing and Since 1948.

Fi hi d Repair R i Destination D i i Si

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EDITOR Andy Walgamott LEAD CONTRIBUT0R Andy Schneider THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Dominic Aiello, Jason Black, Scott Brenneman, Jason Brooks, Dennis Dauble, Mark Fong, Dave Graybill, Scott Haugen, Wayne Heinz, Doug Huddle, Sara Ichtertz, MD Johnson, Randy King, Rob Lyon, Buzz Ramsey, Terry Wiest, Mike Wright, Dave Workman EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT Jason Brooks GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Breeana Garcia, Mamie Griffin, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells DESIGNERS Lindsey Lewers, Sam Rockwell, Jake Weipert PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING Audra Higgins COPY EDITOR/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro

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SMOKERCRAFT OSPREY

ON THE COVER Grant Blinn, a Washington State Superior Court judge, shows off an ocean Chinook. (JASON BROOKS)

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and get daily updates at nwsportsmanmag.com.

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Northwest Sportsman 9

CONTENTS

VOLUME 11 • ISSUE 9

FEATURES 48

NORTH JETTY SEA BASS Lower Columbia angler MD Johnson vets the big river’s North Jetty – snaggy as all get out, but those industrial-sized boulders hide tasty black rockfish, lings and other species for those willing to risk a few (dozen) jigheads and plastic baits.

57

JUNE SALMON Andy Schneider outlines the options for ocean coho and Chinook off Oregon’s Central and North Coasts as well as Ilwaco and Long Beach, then ducks back inside to preview Columbia River summer kings.

87

SUMMERS OF LOVE For Sara, they’re the best of fishes – summer-run steelhead – and even if they once sent her home 0-7, she still thrills to get to the river as these seasonal residents return to her beloved Umpqua system.

137

COLUMBIA BASIN ROCK DOVES

117 YAKIMA DELTA BASS Salmon smolts will be migrating out of the Yakima River this month, and there to greet them will be hungry smallmouth, and there to greet the bass will be Wayne Heinz, who shares top spots, set-ups and tactics for ambushing the ambushers.

124 NORTHEAST WASHINGTON TROUT, KOKANEE Tucked way up in the Evergreen State’s upper righthand corner sits a lake, a pond and a river system whose fisheries are in a state of flux, but local angler Mike Wright says they’re still worth making the trek to for ’bows, kokes, cutts and browns.

(ROB LYON)

The basalt coulees of Central Washington certainly put the rock in rock dove – with one eye on the drop-off to his left and the other focused on keeping his shooting sharp in wingshooting’s offseason, Rob Lyon leads us on an expedition for wild pigeons.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Go to nwsportsmanmag.com for details.

NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Periodical Postage Paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mail offices. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2017 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

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COLUMNS (DAVE GRAYBILL)

109

CENTRAL WASHINGTON

There just may be a run on Banks this summer! Banks Lake, that is, where a stellar year-class of tasty walleye is on tap this season. Dave Graybill details how to catch ’em!

63

SOUTH SOUND South Sound waters can serve up a smorgasbord this time of year, as Jason Brooks knows. The Puyallup-based angler sets us up for resident coho, shrimpin’ and early Chinook, as well as takes a peak at coastal king ops.

71

NORTH SOUND For Pugetropolis river rats, it’s hard to beat the Skagit’s twin salmon opportunties this month – springers up high and sockeye down low. Doug has the deets!

81

BUZZ RAMSEY Steelhead can drive us a bit loonie, and they just may react to moon phases as well, says Buzz. He shares when to time your run to the river, as well as top tactics for summer-runs.

97

WESTSIDER He’s left his radio cohosting gig, but Bill Herzog still has plenty to say about steelhead. In Part II of Terry’s interview, “The General” focuses on how he’s marshaling anglers towards a new future for our favorite species.

103 THE KAYAK GUYS When Scott Brenneman’s looking for his warmwater fix this time of year, he sounds Tapps – as in Lake Tapps, the Pierce County water with big tiger muskies and smallmouth bass.

149

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GUN DOGGIN’ 101 It’s time to introduce wings to your future bird hunter, and Scott Haugen has the steps for ensuring your pup gets a whiff of something he’ll never want to stop retrieving.

153 CHEF IN THE WILD A frightening experience while hunting in Alaska – and no, not a bear attack – led Randy to reassess his backcountry nutritional needs.

He shares what he learned, plus a great recipe that’ll help get you further afield.

161 ON TARGET Time to get crackin’ – as in, mounting that new scope and putting a few bullets downrange zeroing it in, Dave advises. He offers advice on how to do it right the first time.

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(WDFW)

37

THE DISHONOR ROLL

Massive Cowlitz poaching investigation; Wallowa elk slaughter; Officer, prosecutor honored; Oregon men sentenced; Jackass of the Month

DEPARTMENTS 19

THE EDITOR’S NOTE Bob Heirman’s legacy

21

CORRESPONDENCE Reader reactions to recent news

24

THE BIG PIC Oregon aims to increase hunter numbers, promoting new “take a friend” contest.

31

PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD Rainbows, turkeys, spring Chinook, steelhead and more!

33

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Browning, Fishing monthly prizes

43

DERBY WATCH NSIA Spring Classic, Grande Ronde steelhead derby results; Upcoming events

47

OUTDOOR CALENDAR Upcoming openers, closures, events

47

BIG FISH Record Northwest game fish caught this month

123 RIG OF THE MONTH Brass ’n glass for bass 14 Northwest Sportsman

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

I

t was with a heavy heart that I took my boys to a local wetland last month to release coho fingerlings they’d been raising at school.

The weekend before, Robert “Bob” Heirman, a sportsman in the truest sense of the word, one who’d stocked untold numbers of fish into the rivers, lakes and ponds of the county just to our north (and in which I did a lot of growing up and where I’ve done plenty of fishing), had passed away. He was 84.

HEIRMAN WAS SOMEBODY I looked up to, a lifelong angler who took to the cutthroat-bearing “jump over” creeks around his hometown as a young boy in the 1930s and never looked back. A train engineer by trade, he was the longtime secretary-treasurer of the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club, and in 1993 published Snohomish: My Beloved County.

As much a paean to the wonderful fishing he enjoyed from tidewater to foothills canyons to lofty tarns way back in the Cascades, it’s also a eulogy for the demise of the habitat needed to support The late Bob Heirman’s salmon, steelhead and trout. Gleaning book cover shows the author leaning on a giant his short stories for ideas on where to cedar near the South Fork fish, you can’t help but get angry about of Canyon Creek, outside how growth has destroyed so much as Granite Falls, in 1981. the county has rapidly urbanized, and how the runs have fallen, though there are remnants to hold on to tightly.

I remember a call in 2010 from Heirman. He was reacting to a rule change closing streams and beaver ponds – “a horrible loss of angling opportunity,” he’d called it. He had tough words about the folks at Fish and Wildlife’s regional office, who were zealously trying to protect listed salmonids – and who also eventually backtracked to reopen some of his waters above waterfalls and other barriers where it made sense to.

OUR FISH, WATERS and fisheries need more people like Bob Heirman. The evidence is all around us. One day last winter, Amy threw the boys and I out for a walk in the rain, and as is my custom, I led us over to a nearby stream to see how it was flowing. Except this time, it stank – a “run away from” creek, a travesty to the small waters so “vital to our salmon and trout production and ... so valuable to fish enhancement as to be priceless,” in Heirman’s words.

Bob’s legacy will live on with his club, the ethic that comes through in his book and the county park where he spent a lot of time plunking for steelhead back in the day (and later this summer will provide anglers with access to returning pink salmon) and that bears his name, Heirman Wildlife Preserve at Thomas’ Eddy, land at one time threatened with a subdivision.

It’s funny, but when River and Kiran were letting those little coho go, a bunch of their fish somehow ended up named Bob, Bob Jr. and Bob Jr. Jr. It now seems a fitting tribute. –Andy Walgamott

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SOCIAL

SCENE

By Andy Walgamott

THE FEDS WIN ONE VERSUS WFC The Wild Fish Conservancy et al’s Elwha lawsuit fizzled in April. A Ninth Circuit Court panel ruled the National Marine Fisheries Service was right in approving state and tribal hatchery production programs for after dam removal. “This is a big victory for sports anglers, Tribes, and yes, both our state and federal governments,” wrote Jim Stengle on our Facebook post announcing the news. Grumbled Jason Miller, “Better be a broodstock program, at least,”while Chase Gunnell termed it “Sad news. US taxpayers spent more than $300 million to advance wild fish recovery in the Elwha River.” (In an email received afterwards, Lower Klallam Tribe attorney Stephen Suagee told Northwest Sportsman, “The Tribe in fact uses only native Elwha stock at its hatchery, but unfortunately we still sometimes hear the question or criticism that we are using non-native stock such as Chambers Creek steelhead.

The Tribe’s hatchery has not released any non-native fish into the Elwha River for at least the past six or seven years.”)

WIND RIVER FISHING PLATFORMS Things got blustery at the Wind River mouth, where Yakama Nation fishermen legally erected platforms – right on the best bank spot for springers. The structures were termed “fire wood” and “plunking platforms” by Todd Nicholas and Chris Schamer, while Jim Hansen and James Kirk joked whether they had building permits. But Andy Scheer offered, “You’re mad at them using a traditional method to gather fish? I’d much rather they do this than use monofilament kill nets.” And Albert Olney, who claimed to have built the platforms with help from relatives, promised, “I will only be running my hoops from sun down till sun up! Otherwise, I will be outta the way all day long, all season strong! Have a good season, anglers, I plan on it!”

COLUMBIA SPRINGER RUN How good 2017’s springer season ends up being for tribal and nontribal anglers alike was unclear at press time, but things weren’t looking good though some were hopeful. Our blog that the Bonneville count through April 30 was a new record low (3,347, 60 percent of the old low, and just 6 percent of the 10-year average) led readers Rob Mallery, Chris Palmquist, Brian Oldfield and Aaron Poloni to remind us about this year’s huge volumes of cold water. “Fish will know when ‘it’s right’ to migrate,” noted Dobie Steikunas. “Calendars don’t exist when it comes to migrating fish.” Meanwhile, Russ Cervantes found a potential bright side: “Watch, the ‘summer’ run will be bigger than usual.”

MOST LIKED READER PIC WE HUNG UP ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE DURING THIS ISSUE’S PRODUCTION CYCLE Jason King (pictured) and Mike Campion made the most of the last days of San Juan Islands blackmouth season in April with this pair of feeder Chinook, which got big love online. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST) nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

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Oregon Aims To Up Hunter Numbers

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PICTURE Following 2016’s surge, Department of Fish and Wildlife rolls out new ‘Take A Friend Hunting’ Campaign.

By Dominic Aiello

T

he number of people hunting in Oregon’s forests has been declining for decades. Whether through urbanization or the rise in digital connectivity, the number of people wearing camo has seen a steady drop since its heyday in the 1970s.

But last year, that downward trend saw a reversal.

The number of hunting licenses sold in Oregon jumped 22 percent in 2016, according to data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. A total of 334,405 licenses were sold last year, up from 264,000 in 2015.

A big part of the increase comes from youth fishing license changes – ages 12 and older now pay $10 for a combo hunting, fishing, shellfish license, officials said. But even after factoring in the rule change, hunter numbers are still up, ODFW’s recruitment and retention coordinator Chris Willard said.

Willard said that participation rates came despite a fee increase in 2016. ODFW had anticipated the increase would cause a decline in participation.

The uptick couldn’t have come at a better time, Willard said. The decline in hunting has led to budget issues for ODFW, which derives much of its funding from the sale of licenses and tags.

“Increasing participation is very important as hunters and anglers account for a full 50 percent of our budget,” Willard said. “Without hunters and anglers, our agency could not meet its conservation mission.”

‘ADULT ONSET HUNTING’

Oregon saw an uptick in hunter numbers in 2016, thanks in part to how youth combo licenses are bundled, and despite a fee increase. It buoyed state managers, who say half of the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s budget is funded by sportsmen like Dominic and Asha Aiello, here crossing a Western Oregon hillside during a spring turkey hunt. (DOMINIC AIELLO)

There’s no clear-cut reason for the increase, officials said, but anecdotal evidence suggested adults who grew up in urban areas are becoming increasingly interested in being part of their food chain.

Joel Strimling of Beaverton didn’t start hunting until he was 40 years old. He grew up in a middle-class urban family that didn’t own firearms or hunt.

Strimling first considered hunting after a relative brought game birds to holiday dinners.

“I really enjoyed it and asked for more,” he said. “It was then that a reality of the situation set in. I decided if I couldn’t

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Northwest Sportsman 25

MIXED BAG engage in the harvest process, maybe I shouldn’t be so eager to chow down.”

“I decided I should at least understand the process and decide if it was something I could actually do,” Strimling continued.

Strimling said that the lack of a mentor meant there was a steep learning curve.

“My first turkey hunt and my first deer hunt I made so many errors!” Strimling said. “Persistence and a keen ability to adapt were keys to my success.”

Since starting in 2010, Strimling said he’s had many successful turkey, deer and goose hunts and looks forward to expanding to elk.

His story isn’t unique.

Tovar Cerulli, author of the book The Mindful Carnivore, A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance, calls it “adult onset hunting.”

Cerulli decided to be a vegan in his early 20s, but due to health reasons later in life, he returned to being an omnivore.

However, he said he couldn’t ethically eat meat unless he was part of the process.

Adult onset hunting is alive among

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Oregon wildlife managers are encouraging hunters to take a friend afield this season with a new contest that offers the potential to win great prizes for those who mentor a lapsed or new hunter. (DOMINIC AIELLO) millennials too. Craig Mooney of Bend is 27 years old. His parents didn’t hunt, but Mooney said after college, he was drawn to the hunting lifestyle.

“I decided to start hunting because I’ve always been interested in the lifestyle,

the challenge and just being in nature,” Mooney said. “With nature, the physical challenges, the strategy, art and difficulty, I was naturally drawn to it.”

Mooney said he faced a steep learning curve. Once he improved his skill, he

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MIXED BAG launched The Sticks Outfitter, a YouTube channel designed to educate those who are new to the sports via fun and informative videos.

NEW MENTORING PROGRAM A reoccurring theme among individuals struck with the desire to learn how to hunt in their adult years is the lack of a mentor.

This has not gone unnoticed by ODFW. In April, ODFW started a program called “Take a Friend Hunting” to encourage mentoring among adult hunters.

“Learning to hunt can be challenging for adults who didn’t grow up hunting,” said ODFW’s Willard. “Mentoring by a friend or relative is a great way for those interested in hunting to get started.

“This year, step up and take a friend hunting. Or, if you’ve never hunted and would like to learn how, ask a friend who hunts to take you along,” Willard added.

“Either way, take advantage of Oregon’s tremendous hunting opportunities and the chance to enjoy the outdoors with friends.”

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Unlike the ODFW Youth Mentor Program, the Take a Friend Hunting contest is for adults only, and each person must hunt on their own license and tag.

All types of hunting (big game, waterfowl, upland bird, predator) qualify, as long as they are legal, ethical and safe.

Adult hunters who mentor other new or lapsed adult hunters can enter to win prizes, including a 2018 statewide deer tag, a Leupold rifle scope valued at $690, an Eberlestock M5 Team Elk Pack valued at $329 and more.

Participants need to register for the contest at oregonhunter.info no later than Dec. 31, 2017. Both mentor and mentee will be provided with safety guidelines to review and must commit to having already mentored or plan to in 2017. For the full eligibility and contest rules, visit the contest page at oregonhunter.info/ take-a-friend. NS Editor’s note: Dominic Aiello is an avid hunter, angler and wildlife policy expert.

He is a Cabela’s Pro Staff member and

Recent years have seen increasing interest in the quality of lean wild game meat, including goose breast, and taking part in the food chain instead of solely relying on industrially produced beef, chicken and other meats. (JOEL STRIMLING) president of the Oregon Outdoor Council.

Follow his adventures on Instagram @daiello91 and Twitter @HunterInformant.

This article originally appeared in the May 2 Salem Statesman-Journal and is reprinted with permission of the author.

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READER PHOTOS The Daughters Wooldridge – Kirsten, 3, and Avey, 6 – smile over the rainbows they caught during an annual spring fishing derby at Angle Lake, near SeaTac Airport.

They were fishing with their dad and grandfather, Grant and Glen, out of, yep, a Wooldridge, and placed onetwo in the under-8 bracket, claiming hula hoops, jump ropes and other prizes. “It had been over 30 years since I had fished this local fishing derby as a kid and now the excitement was renewed with little ones of my own,” said Grant, who reports his girls are already making plans for next year’s derby! (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Victoria Landrum successfully bagged her turkey this past April, hunting out of Northeast Washington’s gobbler capital, Colville, with her dad, Lee, here taking a photo of his daughter.

(BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

Daniel Vigil hoists a nice early winter steelhead, caught on eggs during a guided trip down a Southwest Washington river. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST) For your shot at winning great fishing and hunting products from Northwest Sportsman and Browning, send your full-resolution, original images with all the pertinent details – who’s in the pic and their hometown; when and where they were; what they caught their fish on/weapon they used to bag the game; and any other details you’d like to reveal (the more, the merrier!) – to awalgamott@media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA, 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for use in our print and Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 31

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS!

Eric Spiegel is this issue’s monthly Fishing Photo Contest winner, thanks to this pic he sent of himself and his Humptulips River wild winterrun steelhead. It wins Spiegel loot from the overstuffed office of our editor!

Christopher Reed’s photo of stepson Micaiah Schalk and his cow elk, taken last fall in western Yakima County, is this issue’s Browning Photo Contest winner. He wins a Browning hat.

Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

For your shot at winning Browning and fishing products, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to awalgamott@ media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications.

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By Andy Walgamott

hose big boots that Cal Treser left behind – they’re well on their way to being filled.

Treser was the longtime game warden in western Okanogan County who retired in spring 2015 after 16 years protecting Washington’s largest mule deer herd, watching after and keeping plenty of other critters out of trouble, and policing tens of thousands of acres of beautiful state lands that serve as winter range for the aforementioned herd, not to mention the region’s bountiful waters.

The job was passed along to a new officer, and it appears like Jason Day is more than up for the challenge. Earlier this year, Day was named WDFW’s 2016 Enforcement Officer of the Year. He received his honor at the Safari Club International Northwest Chapter’s annual banquet. “A really good man and a solid team member,� says his boss, Sgt. Dan Christensen, who nominated Day. His beat represents the intersection of prime fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation opportunities, state and federally listed species in the form of salmon, steelhead and wolves, and a region which has “a tremendous call for

and his agency,� wrote Christensen.

Day, a graduate of Western Washington University, grew up in the upper Okanogan Valley where family still resides, and lives in the Methow Valley with his wife and kids.

OfďŹ cer Jason Day, here on duty in North-central Washington, was named WDFW’s game warden of the year for 2016. (WDFW) service expectation,â€? in Christensen’s words. That keeps Day busy, and in 2016 he filed the most incident report forms of any fish and wildlife officer in the state, as well as issued the second most citations in the month of October, his sergeant reported in his nomination letter. “While the citation numbers do not tell the entire story, the quality of those enforcement actions, speak for his strong work ethic and commitment to the resource

JACKASS OF THE MONTH

I

f you’re a member of a search party out looking for a hunter’s downed animal that isn’t initially found, that doesn’t mean you get to claim it if you stumble across it the next day.

But that is apparently what Jeffrey Allan McCraven did last September.

According to Oregon State Police’s Fish and Wildlife Division, the 53-yearold Lebanon resident was helping look for a legally arrowed and mortally hit six-point bull shot by another hunter, an acquaintance of McCraven’s. They couldn’t find it, but the next day “McCraven located the expired elk and he shoved and shot arrows into the bull to make it appear as if he had lawfully harvested the bull.�

Afterwards, he put his archery tag on the elk and tried to pass it off as his own.

But in a jury trial held in April in Linn County Court, McCraven was found guilty of a Class A violation of the wildlife rules.

In addition to losing his hunting privileges for three years, he was required to pay $15,000 in restitution to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, $500 to the Oregon Hunters Association’s Turn In a Poacher fund, $435 for illegal take/possession of an elk and $279.23 for meat processing. He also had to turn over bow and arrows seized during troopers’ investigation, and the judge ordered the venison and antlers to be given to the hunter whose elk McCraven claimed was his.

WDFW OFFICERS ALSO recognized a deputy county prosecutor for his “valiant efforts in supporting conservation.�

Grays Harbor’s Jon Beltran “has championed a number of important cases, ensuring an outcome that sends a strong message to violators,� officers posted on Facebook.

Just as important as the work that

WDFW ofďŹ cers also recognized Grays Harbor County Deputy Prosecutor Jon Beltran for “valiant efforts in supporting conservation.â€? Next to him stands Capt. Dan Chadwick, who heads up Region 6. (WDFW) officers like Day do in investigating fish and wildlife cases, county prosecutors are the next step in bringing poachers and others to justice. “Success in protecting the public’s natural resources is a team effort, with the local county prosecutor’s office being a critical member. Without support at that level, a lot of our work would be meaningless,â€? said Deputy Chief Mike Cenci. “As a citizen of Grays Harbor County, Mr. Beltran understands how important natural resources are to his coastal communities, local economies, and our outdoor heritage.

WDFW Police appreciate his ability to take on the most complex cases and navigate the challenges that constantly beget enforcing natural resource laws.�

Congrats to Officer Day and Deputy Prosecutor Beltran – your hard work is appreciated!

nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 37

MIXED BAG

Northeast Oregon Man Accused Of Elk Slaughter

By Andy Walgamott

A

Northeast Oregon man was set to be arraigned last month on charges of poaching and wasting a large number of elk this past winter.

State troopers took Larry Michael “Mike” Harshfield into custody in early April on 12 counts of unlawful closed-season take and 12 counts of wastage for a dozen elk found slaughtered on his ranch north of Wallowa in February, and forwarded charges for 13 more rotting away on neighboring ground to county prosecutors to consider.

The news led to outrage on our social media and elsewhere, but also claims that the full story wasn’t being told. Several days after the story was first reported by the Wallowa County Chieftain, Harshfield’s wife and his attorney issued statements about winter conditions and OSP’s press release.

Pam Harshfield said the elk herd in the area has grown tenfold in two decades, making it harder and harder for the family to keep the animals out of the haystacks they put up for cattle they raise.

This past winter, one of the harshest in more than 20 years, compounded things. In a February blog, we reported how desperate elk cleaned out an entire shed full of 30-plus-year-old hay on Washington’s Grande Ronde, while Idaho elk and pronghorn were driven towards homes where they browsed on a deadly landscaping shrub.

“We have to care for our animals all day long in subzero temps and then care for 200 of the State of Oregon’s elk herd all night long,” Pam Harshfield stated.

Larry Harshfield’s attorney, Lissa Casey of Eugene, castigated OSP and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for trying her client “in the court of public opinion.”

“Instead of letting this case proceed as other criminal cases do, law enforcement arrested a hard-working rancher to provide information for their press releases,” she stated. “He and his family can’t be silent anymore in the face of the public information campaign the government is waging against him.”

After word broke April 13 of Larry

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A state trooper examines the carcass of an elk found on the Harshfield Ranch outside Wallowa, Oregon. (OSP) Harshfield’s arrest, it caught the attention of Glenn Palmer, sheriff of Oregon’s Grant County. Writing on his personal Facebook page at ODFW he spoke to the cost and damage caused by elk coming to feed on rancher haystacks.

He said that while he “can see and understand frustration … I don’t agree with it but ODFW needs to be in a position to help and mitigate these issues.”

That led to a response a couple hours later from the wildlife agency that in fact it had been helping mitigate issues on the Harshfield Ranch: “ODFW has been working with the involved individuals for several years to try to address elk damage on their property.

In past, we have helped cost-share alfalfa seed, fertilizer and noxious weed spraying on the property.

“This year we issued them a hazing permit and shotgun shells for hazing.

We issued elk damage tags to anyone they authorized and who came to us for the tags. We offered to set up an emergency hunt, which the landowners declined because they wanted more control than that program allowed over who could hunt. (These landowners also do not generally allow public hunting, which can help address damage.) ODFW offered them a kill permit, which they also declined because it requires the permittee

to skin, dress, and transport the carcasses to a meat processor for charity, which they did not want to do.

“ODFW gave the landowners plastic netting to wrap their hay sheds. We were also discussing a plan to supply woven wire fencing to protect their hay sheds.

That didn’t happen this winter but we were in discussions to provide in spring.”

According to Pam Harshfield’s statement, the family was “hesitant” to allow hunters onto their 450 acres because they would “feel responsible” if bullets were winged at elk in the direction of neighbors’ homes. Aerial imagery shows structures to the north, west and south of the ranch, with rising open rangeland to the east.

They also question field-dressing game without help during such harsh conditions, and claim the venison wasn’t wasted, as it provided carrion to eagles and whatnot.

They may need a Spokane attorney to make that logic fly before a judge, but as it stands, during one of the roughest winters in recent memory, a herd of Oregon’s elk received the toughest of treatments imaginable.

If convicted, Harshfield could be fined as much as $6,250 per count, lose his hunting privileges for three years and have any weapon used to kill said elk seized, according to OSP.

nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 39

MIXED BAG

Quartet Run Afoul Of Game Laws

F

By Andy Walgamott

our Western Oregon men were fined heavily, saw their hunting privileges suspended and were ordered to perform community service after entering plea deals in two separate cases in Benton County (Oregon) Circuit Court in April.

According to Oregon State Police, its Fish and Wildlife Division’s Mid-Valley Team served multiple search warrants after an investigation into the activities of Brandon J. Yamanaka, 30, of Toledo, and Christopher J. Martin, 33, of Albany.

Officers say they seized several trophy blacktail buck mounts, turkey parts, bows as well as a shotgun, and say the two had taken “animals closed season and had been involved in taking multiple animals a season without the proper or sufficient number of tags.”

In the end, however, Yamanaka and Martin entered a guilty plea and no contest plea, respectively, to a single count of taking, angling, hunting, or trapping in violation of wildlife law or rule

Trophy blacktail buck mounts seized by wildlife troopers in the case against Yamanaka and Martin. (OSP)

Brandon J. Yamanaka, 30, Christopher J. Martin, 33, David Bruce Maxfield Jr., Allen Craige Boal, 26, of of Toledo. (OSP) of Albany. (OSP) 26, of Dallas. (OSP) Dallas. (OSP) as a Class A misdemeanor.

Yamanaka, who had a previous conviction, was ordered to pay $15,650

10 Suspected Of Spree Killing

T

en Cowlitz County residents are being investigated for killing a repulsive number of deer, elk, bears and other wildlife over a 20-month span.

“We figure around 100 animals taken during closed season, in excess of limits or without proper tags, but the vast majority are closed season,” says Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Deputy Chief Mike Cenci.

One image taken after 20 search warrrants were served in March showed 26 buck heads that were seized.

Also unearthed, multiple videos of hounds baying bears, a style of hunting that was outlawed 20 years ago. The individuals are believed to have killed close to 50 bruins; in one video, a man can be heard to say that a particular flat had yielded four.

The killings occurred in Washington and Oregon, and go back to August 2015.

“If not for the efforts of Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division troopers,

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who knows how long they’d have continued taking deer,” credits Cenci.

During last winter’s harsh conditions, OSP wildlife officers set up trail cams to catch those responsible for leaving a trail of headless deer in a prime mule deer controlled tag unit, stealing bucks from legitimate hunters.

“It just kept growing,”OSP Lieutenant Ryan Howell told Portland station KPTV about the case. “The offenses, not only did they occur in The Dalles, they were all over the state of Oregon and Washington. This was something that was going on a long time, and something that would continue if we didn’t loop in Washington.”

Officers struggled to explain the thinking behind the alleged slaughter.

“Because they’re just killers. They just want to see stuff die. It’s a sick and twisted mentality; you and I will not get it,” Cenci said. “It’s so shocking. Most human beings wouldn’t do this.”

in fines, restitution and court costs, serve 80 hours of community service, and can’t hunt for five years. Martin was ordered to pay $8,150, perform 40 hours of service, and had his hunting privileges suspended three years.

In the other case, OSP investigated David Bruce Maxfield Jr., 26, and Allen Craige Boal, 26, both of Dallas, for the unlawful killing of a six-point elk in the Kings Valley area. Officers say that Maxfield shot the trophy bull with a bow, and he and Boal, who had a previous wildlife conviction, only took its head and antlers.

When Maxfield posted a picture of the bull on the Oregon Big Game Hunting group’s Facebook page in late August, an alert trooper ran his name and found he didn’t have the right tag to have done that, according to The Oregonian. The paper reported the trooper said Maxfield “confessed pretty quickly.”

Under Maxfield’s guilty plea and Boal’s no contest plea, both men were ordered to each pay $7,600 in fines, restitution and court fees and both perform 40 hours of community service. Their hunting privileges were suspended three years.

nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

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Rough Winter On Ronde To Hold A Near-18-lb. King Steelhead Derby Wins NSIA’s I Spring Classic

By Andy Walgamott

A

haul of nearly 31 pounds of Chinook took top team honors at the 25th Annual Spring Fishing Classic, while a 17.85-pounder was the largest weighed at the fundraiser for the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association.

Held in early April on the high-flowing Columbia and lower-river tributaries, more than 150 fishermen took part in the daylong event, and when all was said and done, many walked away with prizes and tens of thousands of dollars were raised for sportfishing advocacy.

Brian Gergen collected $500 for catching that largest Chinook, and the boat he was on took second in the team competition simply because of that fish. The team of guide Bill Monroe Jr., Darrel Ehl and Marshall Strutz took first with three springers that tallied 30.80 pounds. Third went to Troy Campbell et al with 17.15 pounds.

Liz Hamilton, NSIA executive director, thanked event sponsors, including Pure Fishing, among others. Clackacraft provided a trailer for the evening’s raffle boat, a drifter from Willie Boats.

t was a miserable winter on the backside of the Blues for not only deer and elk but steelheading as well.

The Vails, who run Boggan’s Oasis, reported that in early winter the Grande Ronde was frozen and they’d had to close the restaurant more in just two months than in the nearly three and a half decades they’d owned the place. And then when their fishing derby began in late winter, the big snowpack in the Blues and Wallowas began to run off, making for difficult fishing, with “at least four weeks of nobody on the river,” the Vails reported.

Only half of the usual number of anglers signed up for the derby, and just 29 steelhead were weighed, none after March 7, they said.

The winning fish was caught March 2 by Will Gregory. His 9.4-pound, 33-incher was three-quarters of a pound heavier than 2016’s winner, and a bit bigger than his own 2015 derby winner.

It all left the Vails hoping to forget the winter of 2016-17, and looking forward to summer smallmouth bass and rainbow trout fishing, seasons for which open June 3.

2017 NORTHWEST SALMON DERBY SERIES

Skipper Bill Monroe Jr. (second from left) and crew smile after winning the 25th Annual Spring Fishing Classic with a boat total of 30.80 pounds of Chinook. (NSIA)

RECENT RESULTS

4th Annual Something Catchy Kokanee Derby, Lake Chelan, April 22: First place (team): Joe Quiocho, Frank Bellinger, Mike Barr, 18.31 pounds; Biggest fish: Jerrod Gibbons, 1.09 pounds 2017 Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club Spring K&K Derby, Lake Pend Oreille, April 29-May 7: First place, rainbow division: Vali Moore, 17.36 pounds, $4,000; second: Rodney Vendever, 15.90 pounds, $2,500; First place, Mackinaw division: Scott Plue, 23.34 pounds, $1,200

July 14-16: Bellingham Salmon Derby July 26-30: The Big One Salmon Derby Aug. 5: South King County PSA Salmon Derby Aug. 12: Gig Harbor PSA Salmon Derby Aug. 19-20: Vancouver Chinook Classic Aug. 26: Columbia River Fall Salmon Derby Sept. 2: Willapa Bay Salmon Derby Sept. 9: Edmonds Coho Derby Sept. 23-24: Everett Coho Derby Nov. 4-5: Bayside Marine Salmon Derby Jan. 5-7, 2018: Resurrection Salmon Derby Feb. 8-10: Friday Harbor Salmon Classic For more information, see nwsalmonderbyseries.com.

MORE UPCOMING AND ONGOING EVENTS

Now through the end of season: Westport Charterboat Association Weekly Derbies – info: charterwestport.com June 24-25 2017 Salmon Enhancement Derby, Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island – info: nootkamarineadventures.com July 1-2 Bonnie & Clyde Salmon Derby, Moutcha Bay Resort, Vancouver Island – info: nootkamarineadventures.com More events: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/index.html. To have your derby or results listed here, email awalgamott@media-inc.com. nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 43

44 Northwest Sportsman

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nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 45

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OUTDOOR

CALENDAR

Brought to you by:

and Follow the Law It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3...

JUNE 1 1-3 3

Opening day of fishing on several Washington lakes, rivers Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut weekend Opening day of fishing on numerous Washington streams, beaver ponds; WDFW family and youth fishing events at Heart and Steel Lakes, Gene Coulon Park and Tracy Owen Station on Lake Washington and Howard Bowen Memorial Park – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html 3-4 Free Fishing Weekend in Oregon, with Family Fishing Events planned at numerous locations – info: odfwcalendar.com, dfw.state.or.us; WDFW family and youth fishing event at Willow Creek Hatchery in Lynnwood – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html 8-10 Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut weekend 10 Free Fishing Day in Idaho – info: idfg.idaho.gov; Family Fishing Event, Cutsforth Pond in Heppner – info: odfwcalendar.com; WDFW family and youth fishing events at Lake Sylvia and Lynden City Park – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html 10-11 Free Fishing Weekend in Washington – info: wdfw.wa.gov 15 Final day for spring bear permit season in numerous Washington units 15-17 Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut weekend 16 Columbia salmon and steelhead opener from I-5 bridge upstream to Highway 395 bridge 17 WDFW family and youth fishing event at Island Lake – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html 16-18 Berkley Experience Trailer at Bob Ward’s, Missoula – info: berkley-fishing.com/Berkleyexperience-trailer.html 20 Date Oregon controlled hunt application results available no later than – info: or.outdoorcentral.us/ or/license 23-25 Berkley Experience Trailer at Sportsman’s Warehouse, Kennewick – info: berkley-fishing.com/ Berkley-experience-trailer.html 24 5K Run/Walk and Outdoor Skills Challenge ($20), EE Wilson Wildlife Area near Corvallis and Steelhead 101 Workshop ($52), Oxbow Regional Park in Gresham – info: odfwcalendar.com; Marine Areas 1, 3-4 salmon opener; WDFW family and youth fishing event at Goose Lake (Mt. Adams) – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/kids/events.html 29-July 1 Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut back-up dates (if quota available) 30-July 2 Berkley Experience Trailer at Sportco, Fife, Washington – info: berkley-fishing.com/Berkleyexperience-trailer.html

1.

The ONE place not to be is in the path of whales. Don’t position your vessel in the path of oncoming whales within 400 yards of a whale.

2.

Stay at least TWO hundred yards away from any killer whale (200 yards = the distance of two football fields or about 200 meters).

3.

Remember these THREE ways to Be Whale Wise: follow the guidelines for viewing all wildlife, check for local protected areas and restrictions, and always be safe.

JULY 1

Leftover big game tags go on sale in Oregon and start of youth “first time” hunt application period; New Washington fishing pamphlet regulations take effect; Marine Area 2 salmon opener 7-9 Berkley Experience Trailer at Englund Marine, Astoria – info: berkley-fishing.com/Berkleyexperience-trailer.html 8 Family Fishing Event, Jubilee Lake in the Umatilla National Forest – info: odfwcalendar.com 9 Family Fishing Event, Lhuuke Illahee Fish Hatchery near Logsden – info: odfwcalendar.com 13-15 Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut back-up dates (if quota available)

RECORD NORTHWEST GAME FISH CAUGHT THIS MONTH (RON CAMPBELL)

Date 6-5-71 6-9-75 6-14-10 6-21-92 6-22-71 6-26-03 6-27-94 6-28-81 6-28-16

Species Yellow perch Kokanee Kokanee Grayling Yellow perch Kokanee Flathead catfish Flathead catfish Prickly sculpin

Pds. (-Oz.) 2-2 6.59 9.67 2-7 2.75 6.25 42-0 22.8 .58

Water Columbia R. (OR) Priest L. (ID) Wallowa L. (OR) Nez Perce L. (ID) Snelsons Sl. (WA) L. Roosevelt (WA) Snake R. (OR) Snake R. (WA) Columbia R. (WA)

Angler Ernie Affolter III Jerry Verge Ron Campbell (image) Velma Mahaffey Larry Benthien Clarence Rief Joshua Kralicek C.L. McCary Dave Bender

Visit www.bewhalewise.org to learn more, download the laws, regulations, and guidelines, and to report violations.

Report Violations: Enforcement 1-800-853-1964 or online at www.bewhalewise.org

nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

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FISHING

Vetti n g the Jetty

Snaggy as heck, the rocks on the north side of the mouth of the Columbia hold rockfish and other saltwater species.

By M.D. Johnson

A

With Cape Disappointment and a cargo ship in the background, a North Jetty angler shows off a black rockfish caught off the riprap at the mouth of the Columbia River. In August, it can also be a decent spot for casting bobbers and herring for Chinook and coho. (JASON BLACK, INSTAGRAM: @STRANGEGALAXYUSA)

llow me, folks, to be brutally honest here. Ordinarily, I’d be a tad bit hesitant to write in detail about a place like the North Jetty. Same story; you’ve all heard it before. Or perhaps you’ve even said it. Or written it.

Regardless, the hesitation lies in describing a fishing hole in-depth, and in doing so, driving everyone capable of gathering up a fish pole to said fishing hole, thus increasing the day-to-day competition, potentially harming the resource, and on and on and on.

Understandable, don’t you agree? However, and in the case of the North Jetty and rockfish, I believe I’m safe in assuming that 95 – if not more – out of every 100 people who travel to this rocky outcropping into the Pacific with thoughts of becoming the Kevin VanDam of sea bassin’ will last about 15 minutes – maybe 30 – before cursing – and quite vehemently so – every boulder, submerged or otherwise, on the planet, picking up their ball and going home, never to return.

Why am I so sure of this? Simple, really. The North Jetty isn’t a jetty a’tall. She’s a collector – The Collector – of fishing tackle. At the age of 52, I’m certain of only two things in this world. One, I will pass from said world at some point. And two, if you fish the North Jetty for rockfish, aka black sea bass, you will get snagged and lose your gear.

Time and time and time again.

It’s the nature of the beast down on the rocks; the lost nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 49

The North Jetty has been battered for more than 100 years with the worst the Pacific can dish out, and was recently refurbished. Built as an aid to navigation by the Army Corps of Engineers, fishing is not an activity that is encouraged here, and there is always the danger of a wave breaking over the jetty and sweeping anglers into the sea. (ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS)

lead heads and plastics are the cost of doing business. But, damn, son, can the rockfishing be unmatched.

So, let’s take a look at the gear you’re (hopefully not) going to lose – at least not much, anyway – and then a handful of techniques for pulling these incredible-eating ocean-going black bass from underneath and in and amongst the rocks that make up the Columbia River’s North Jetty.

Wait. What’s that? Where’s the North Jetty? For those unfamiliar with the structure, the North Jetty sits on the Washington side of the big river at its mouth. The jetty is accessed via Cape Disappointment State Park – Discovery Pass required!

– west of Ilwaco in Pacific County.

Several pullouts provide parking along what’s known as Jetty Road, as does a paved lot at the far western end of the road. I’d suggest the last parking area, if space permits. From here, it’s a matter of jumping onto the jetty and walking southwest.

How far? How far do you want to 50 Northwest Sportsman

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walk? But we’ll address that variable momentarily.

JETTY GEAR LIST Fishing the North Jetty efficiently means being self-contained. And being self-contained means strapping everything you’re going to need for the day’s angling into a pack, tying the pack to your back, and humping the gear X-number of yards in the direction of Japan. Or Hawaii, if you’re partial to Hawaii.

Unlike the piers I’ve fished on the East Coast, where anglers can use modified carts to haul their gear into position, North Jetty fishers don’t enjoy this luxury. Oh, you can try; we’ve tried pulling carts and coolers and wagons, and it just doesn’t work very well. Rocks the size of a 1970 VW Beetle have a way of making a walk in the park less of a walk in the park.

Any pack that’s (1) large enough to carry what you need, and (2) comfortable on your body should

work just fine for the jetty. Julie and I both pack the Tenzing TC1500, which coincidentally is the same pack I carry during October for deer and elk. The 1500 has plenty of room (1,500 cubic inches), with few bells and whistles I don’t need. What the 1500 does have that I love is a foldout gun/bow boot at the bottom.

Into this adjustable pouch I can put the butts of two baitcasting rods and two spinning rods, all with reels attached, strap the entire package down tight, and walk ’til Hell won’t have it.

Now, rods, reels, and line. If my target is specifically black rockfish and lingcod, with an emphasis on the former, I pack two different rod/reel combinations. Those are a Shakespeare Wild Series (salmon) combo with an 8-foot-6 mediumheavy spinning rod and matching 5:1 reel, and a 9-foot medium-heavy Shakespeare Ugly Stik Elite topped with an Ambassadeur 5500S. If I’m feeling old school, my reel will be

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Northwest Sportsman 51

FISHING chartreuse, yellow, orange, and the Secret Ones – pink/bubblegum, motor oil, and pumpkinseed, or derivatives thereof.

THE HOW-TO-DO-IT PART

As the sun rises, anglers cast into the boiling waters on the east side of the North Jetty. The rocks here help and hinder fishing, attracting rockfish and lings, but also snagging copious quantities of tackle. (JASON BLACK, INSTAGRAM: @STRANGEGALAXYUSA)

an Abu 5000, which was a gift from my father. If you use anything even remotely similar for salmon, I’m sure it will work just fine; however, the key is backbone combined with sensitivity. You have to be able to feel the jig tick-tick-tick along the rocks.

Too heavy, you have no touch, and you’re constantly hung up. Too light, and you don’t have enough oomph to horse these fish out of the rocks they call home.

And speaking of sensitivity, both the spinning outfit and the baitcaster are spooled with 30-pound Ripcord braid (Cabela’s). You can go heavier; perhaps 40-, 50- or 60-pound test, as long as it casts smoothly. But you need the strength, fray resistance, and feel of braid. Period.

In truth, my rockfish terminal tackle is rather elemental. My brother-in-law Gordie and I pour our own jig heads; nothing fancy, just plain bullet-style barbed, aka grub-holder, heads in 1-, 1½and 2-ounce sizes. And not very many of the 2-ouncers, as we find them a bit on the heavy side and prone to clinging tenaciously and unintentionally to the bottom. These are poured on 5/0 (1-ounce) and 6/0 (1½-ounce) Eagle Claw 90-degree jig hooks, and left unpainted. Strike King (strikeking.com) does make a 1-ounce “Squadron” swimbait jig head, painted or pearl, on a 5/0 wide gap, stab-yourself-silly chemically 52 Northwest Sportsman

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sharpened hook, again with a grubholder collar, that works extremely well too, should you be the storebuying sort.

Grubs. For us, it’s plastics on the jetty. No live bait – note: I will, however, talk briefly about that potentiality in a moment – no this, no that, nothing fancy. Just plastics.

Plastics maximize the time you spend fishing, they’re relatively inexpensive, and rockfish appear to dearly love them – that is, when they love anything at all. So it’s grubs.

Honestly, any grub-style plastic bait has the potential to catch rockfish.

I’m partial, though, to a handful of specifics, which for me have proved quite effective over the years. This list would include 6-inch Mister Twister Twister Tails, either single or double tail; 4- and 6-inch Sassy Shad; and most recently, a 4-inch Strike King Rage Tail Rage Shad.

But it’s the color of said grubs or plastics that accomplished jetty bassers attempt to keep secret. I don’t blame them, really, but the truth of the matter is that any color on any given day can be the so-called Hot Ticket. That said, I will always – and I do mean always – have the following colors in my pack. For the Rage Tails, chartreuse and black. For the Sassy Shad, I’ll have chartreuse pearl, white pearl, black over pearl, and blue over pearl. And for the twister tails, a goodly albeit basic supply of white,

Before I begin, let me address one very important thing about fishing the North Jetty. This is a dangerous place, as evidenced in part by the disclaimers – “Proceed at your own risk” – posted along the northern face by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The jetty was not built for fishing; it was made to aid ship navigation in and out of the Columbia. Many of the rocks aren’t set solidly; they roll and move, and show no mercy when it comes to tipping a heavily laden human pack animal onto his or her face. These same boulders, when wet, can be extremely slippery, and they are without question treacherous. If you manage to reach the waterline unscathed, there’s always the chance a rogue wave or swell will knock you from your perch. Your next stop?

Buoy 10. Yes, that Buoy 10. For us, bumps, bangs, falls, bruises, and a certain amount of blood loss translates into just another day on the jetty.

It’s really not a place for kids or dogs, though we see both there on a regular basis. If you do go, file a flight plan, leave it with someone you trust, and carry a fully charged cell phone. Better yet, take a friend, one who can pack your weight for 40 yards vertically, if need be.

Where to go on the jetty is a crapshoot. The farther out you go, the fewer people you encounter and the deeper the water, e.g. 40-plus feet, you’ll be able to reach from the rocks. The cost of reaching the outer tip of the jetty is the physically challenging walk, the safety aspect once there, and ankle-deep seagull, cormorant, and pelican poop. I stay a bit closer, perhaps within 200 to 300 yards of the boulders nicely placed – ugh! – atop the jetty by the Corps of Engineers. Here, I’m going to find 22 to 30 feet of water, an aquatic assumption based on the “one second

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Northwest Sportsman 53

FISHING of fall equals one foot of water” rule using these 1-ounce lead heads.

Tip No. 1: Do not hesitate to move while you fish. My theory is that rockfish are territorial; that is, each one has his/her place among the rocks. Catch one, and that hole’s vacant until filled. Often, we’ll catch three or four fish at one location before it goes dry. However, when it does, we won’t spend but another 15 to 20 minutes there before moving, say, 50 yards one way or the other.

Stick ’n move. Stick ’n move. Fancast and cover water.

Next, the tides. We fish when we can. Now, I’d prefer to fish an incoming tide, simply because it’s easier to maintain relatively snagfree – ha! – contact with the bottom on the flood during the fall and the retrieve. The jig sinks faster and more vertically, unlike on the ebb where the current grabs the grub, drags it to the bottom, and slips it under a rock before you have time to turn back to the river. Given my druthers, I like a midmorning high tide. However, our journals show a higher catch rate on a mid- to late afternoon high. Truth be told, though, we fish when we’re able. The aforementioned are merely what I’d considered ideal situations.

And now, the moment y’all have been waiting for – the secret to mastering the North Jetty rockfishery.

Ready? There is none.

That said, a sensitive rod helps.

Braid helps. A 1-ounce jig, when water conditions allow, helps. To be honest, the fishery is no more involved than cast-and-retrieve. It does help me to visualize the jetty beneath the waves. The rocks, best I can tell, dive roughly 45 degrees from where you’re standing for X feet – remember the tide – before leveling off slightly. The jetty rocks, then, give way to sand. The trick is to cast upcurrent, be that left/right or right/left, free-spool the jig until you feel it hit the sand – a dull spongy sensation rather than the sharp tick of a boulder – and then begin a slow 54 Northwest Sportsman

JUNE 2017 | nwsportsmanmag.com

retrieve. Once you feel the first tick that means a rock, speed up the retrieve keeping your rod tip high.

Lower the tip periodically, and you should be able to feel the bottom again. When the rocks start to rise more vertically, it’s time again to speed up the retrieve. Strikes come as a smash, a solid hit you’ll recognize.

Tip No. 2: Often, a bass will grab a grub and rush back into his hole in the rocks, creating what is known technically as a “Clown Show.” Drop the rod tip and give him a little slack; occasionally, he’ll come out and you can continue the fight.

As for snags, there’s no way around them. They’re going to happen. Essentially, if you’re not fishing in the rocks and getting hung up, you’re not fishing where the rockfish live. More often than not, it’s the jig head, not the hook, that’s pinched or wedged between two boulders. A light hand on the rod, a little drop-back letting that lead head fall (hopefully) out of the crack, some patience, some persistence, and a tad bit of luck can usually salvage a small percentage of these hang-ups.

Tip No. 3: A tactic we’ve been experimenting with lately is working a 1-ounce lead head with a twister tail, herring, or anchovy under an 8-inch slip bobber. Once we’ve guesstimated the water depth at the point where the jetty starts to level

off from vertical, we’ll set our bobberstop accordingly, and drift the rig left/right or right/left as the current dictates. The distance cast from the jetty can help in adjusting the height of the grub/bait above the rocks. It’s an admittedly inexact science at this point; however, it does show promise.

SAFETY FIRST The North Jetty of the Columbia is an amazing place. Over the years, it’s earned quite the reputation as a producer of fall salmon for shore-bound anglers. However, the rockfishery can be quite good in spring and summer. Fishers should be aware of the newly enacted bottomfish closure (October through mid-March) in Washington’s Marine Area 1, as well as decreased daily bag limits and the abolishing of the 22inch minimum size restriction for lingcod. I suggest a refresher with the fishing regs prior to first cast.

And pack out your trash. For whatever reason, the North Jetty has become quite littered with angling remnants – monofilament line, bait containers, cans, bottles, Walmart bags, articles of clothing, you name it, and it’s been carried out there and left behind. It’s a simple rule – pack it in, pack it out.

Good luck, and as the captain used to say on Hill Street Blues, be safe out there. NS

The jetty may not provide the high rockfish catches an Ilwaco charter boat trip will, but the chance to catch saltwater species from shore is what draws some intrepid anglers here, including the editor’s grandfather, who used to fish for salmon with spark plugs for weights. (JASON BLACK, INSTAGRAM: @STRANGEGALAXYUSA)

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FISHING

SALMON SEASON

Starts Now! Oregon Coast, Columbia mouth and river offer opportunities for coho, Chinook.

By Andy Schneider

“B

While much of the Oregon Coast is currently open for Chinook, June 24 marks the start of coho retention there and to the north, in Washington’s Marine Area 1. A good bet will be around the CR Buoy out of Hammond and Ilwaco, where this silver came aboard a few seasons back. (BECCA ELLINGSWORTH)

rain! Brain! Tall Americano for Brain!” the barista yells while looking at his only two customers.

Neither of us are named Brain.

I give a nudge to my fishing partner and enunciate clearly and loudly enough for the barista to hear, “Hey, B-R-I-A-N, I think that’s your coffee.”

As the barista slides the coffee over to Brian, I notice his knuckle tattoos, which read HOLD FAST. “A sailor?” I inquire. The barista’s well-shaped eyebrows make an odd movement, obviously confused by my question. I point out his tattoos and inform him of our plans to head out of port in just a few short hours.

“Oh, no. Nope, not me. That sea air just doesn’t agree with my hair.

After just a few short hours, it looks like I’m sporting a perm,” he replies.

I also learn that salt is a natural abrasive and that left too long on this barista’s sensitive scalp, his cuticles are seriously damaged and he notices significant hair loss in just a few hours.

Unfortunately, I don’t learn anything about the ever-shifting shoaling of the bar, or pick up useful information I might hope to glean from a sailor making coffees between sea voyages. nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 57

FISHING FISH CLOSE TO BANK FOR COLUMBIA SUMMER KINGS While a coastal coffee shop may not be the best place to get your fishing and navigation updates, there is nothing better than a beach vacation to kick off the summer. With the official beginning of summer coming June 20, our ocean coho season starts just days later, on the 24th.

And with that, the Pacific becomes even more enticing, as there are now multiple species to pursue, making time spent offshore potentially even more productive.

But if your 2017 vacation plans lean more toward a staycation, there are still some productive ways to pursue salmon close to home. While this year’s Columbia summer Chinook forecast isn’t anything to get overly excited about, plenty of these aggressively biting, very tasty fish are still going to be swimming right past your neighborhood.

THREE OCEAN SALMON SECRETS Chinook have been open for retention since March on Oregon’s Central Coast, and with the opening of coho, fishing for ocean salmon can be very productive. The waters off the Central and North Coasts are pretty vast and it can be a daunting challenge trying to locate the fish, but thankfully, salmon can be fairly predictable in where they are going to be and when they are going to be there. Here are three easy correlations to look for: 1) Where there are birds, there are fish.

When you see seabirds actively feeding, there are sure to be salmon nearby.

Murres and puffins are two of the most common we see offshore. These birds are always on the hunt for their next meal, and once they find a school of saury, candlefish, anchovies or herring, they are not hard to miss as they dive and chase down their groceries.

Meanwhile, the same baitfish that the birds are feeding on from above are being attacked from below by salmon.

Indeed, birds are better than any fish finder on the market and are the easiest way to locate coho and kings.

2) Where there is 52- to 54-degree water, there will be salmon.

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Columbia summer Chinook don’t get the attention they deserve. These fish are almost always beautifully absent of any net or predator marks, they’re just as tasty as spring Chinook, and are one of the most aggressive salmon stocks that swims up the big river. And while their popularity might dip this year because of high flows and a smaller forecast, that’s OK – more for this writer to partake in!

The fishery is one that transitions from springers headed to Idaho to summers bound for tribs in the Upper Columbia, and just as with April’s Chinook season, you’ll need to slightly modify your tactics to deal with the river’s volume.

Anchoring may very well be one of the most effective ways to catch these summer Chinook. With higher flows, This month marks the start of the anchoring close to shore in shallower water at choke points return of June hogs up the Columbia, and Alex G. caught a true piggy by and inside corners is sure to be a successful tactic. K14X the I-205 bridge a couple seasons Kwikfish and 4.5 Mag Lips are two good plugs to deploy back. He’d just put out a dyed prawn spinner in 18 feet of water when while on anchor. the fish bit, and he fought it for 20 But these kings are also suckers for spinners and even minutes before bringing it to the wobblers at times. Last year, Pro Trolls and Super Series boat. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST) flashers rotating in front of size 3 and 4 spinners were very effective in the waters from I-205 downstream. Plunking from the shore is always a good way to catch salmon and steelhead during higher flows, and this year may just be the year of the bankie. From Sauvie Island beaches up to the rocks below the Oak Tree Hole, there is no doubt that both will see their fill of summer Chinook blood.

Whether you’re on a boat or the bank, this fishery tends to be most productive before noon.

This time of year, smolts aren’t the only things outmigrating – lots of suspended weeds do to, and it makes fishing very labor intensive trying to keep gear clean. These short days of fishing are perfect to have friends and family meet you at the boat ramp for an afternoon spent with the splash-and-giggle crowd. –AS

The waters off the Oregon coast have a fairly predictable temperature pattern during the summer. Most often our waters are cooler towards shore, gradually warming the farther west you venture. Salmon have a fondness for temps in the low 50s, and if you find a definitive temperature break with these temperatures, you’ll have found an excellent place to start trolling.

Of course, as summer weather patterns settle over the Northwest, water temps can do some funky things, so before heading offshore, check out sea surface temperatures for starting points. NOAA, Terrafin and RipCharts are good places to find updated SSTs. 3) Where there is chlorophyll and rip lines, there will be salmon.

A “rip line” is a section of unset-

tled water where different ocean currents collide. They’re often filled with seaweed, grasses and other flotsam, making them easy to find.

The websites where you can find water temps have chlorophyll concentrations too. Knowing the amount of chlorophyll in the water is key to locating salmon. Since plankton and chlorophyll go hand in hand, and plankton are the bottom of the food chain, locating breaks in chlorophyll concentrations will lead you right up the food chain to our target species, coho and Chinook.

PORTS OF CALL Deciding which port you venture out of in search of ocean salmon may depend more on your vacation plans than fishing reports. Each harbor along

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Northwest Sportsman 59

FISHING the Oregon Coast offers good salmon fishing all summer long. Salmon that have moved into nearshore waters as they inch closer and closer to the tributary where they will return to spawn continue to feed heavily. As just about every Oregon port is an estuary (Depoe Bay being the biggest exception) supported by tributaries, there will be salmon close by.

Ilwaco/Warrenton/Hammond: While the forecasted return of coho and Chinook is down on the Columbia, it’s still going to be the staging area for the most fish returning to the Northwest. The CR Buoy is usually one of the most popular locations for ocean coho on the entire Oregon Coast.

But over the last decade the waters north of the Columbia have become more and more productive, especially for Chinook. Charters and sports anglers have most success fishing depths of 10 fathoms or less directly in front of the Long Beach condos.

At the epicenter of the Central Coast, two ports provide access to good salmon waters. Roger Goodman was trolling herring out of Newport when this beefy king bit in 2015. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Tillamook/Nehalem: Both these estuaries are known for their popular fall Chinook fisheries, but Nehalem also gets a healthy return of summer kings, and there is always some late-returning springers still pulling into Tillamook Bay. As coho move north towards the Columbia, they can be intercepted in the waters in front of Twin Rocks to Manzanita, often from the 30-fathom line and deeper.

Depoe Bay/Yaquina Bay: Depoe Bay offers one of the shortest runs to productive salmon waters. Often times,

coho and Chinook are found 3 to 5 miles due west of the world’s smallest navigable harbor.

While Yaquina Bay may require a little longer run to the Chinook, coho can be usually found in the waters due north directly off the lighthouse.

Chinook fishing is most productive at Stonewall Banks and the waters in front of Seal Rock. Either run is approximately 13 miles from port, but Chinook are usually plentiful and heavily targeted by commercial fishermen in both locales.

GET OUT THERE! With summer just about here, prepare to hold fast to the season.

Whether chasing Chinook and coho in the nearshore waters of the Pacific with our amazing rugged coastline for a backdrop, or plunking in the majestic Columbia River Gorge for kings, there’s no better way to celebrate the return of summer in the Northwest than fishing for salmon. NS

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COLUMN

South Sound waters can serve up a smorgasbord this time of year (this repast came from the Narrows area).

While crab seasons had yet to be set at the time of this writing (but will probably be similar to 2016), shrimp and resident coho are available. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

Resident Coho Lead South Sound Salmon Ops J une marks the beginning of summer, and for those of us who like to fish Puget Sound, the good news is we SOUTH SOUND will have a fishery this year. Unlike 2016,

By Jason Brooks when coho runs were predicted to come in at all-time lows, forcing us to stow our boats and sit on the beaches in misery, this season we will need to get those boats ready for a much better opportunity. June is a great time to do so, go for a few shakedown cruises, as well as do some fishing.

COHO NUMBERS ARE on the upswing, and though June is too early to catch oceanreturning silvers, the South Sound has a

decent number of resident fish, thanks to Sqauxin Island netpen-reared fish. These young or stay-behind coho are often caught by beach-bound anglers, as well as boaters. Just about every beach in Marine Areas 11 and 13 offers a chance at these salmon that are aggressively feeding on candlefish, herring, aquatic insects and other prey.

Those on the beach can use a long rod, such as a 10½-foot Series One spinning rod by North Fork Customs. The added length allows you to cast spoons and spinners such as the Hum-Dinger by Mack’s Lure or a 1-ounce banana weight 24 inches in front of a 3-inch Brad’s Killer Cut Plug stuffed with canned tuna fish mixed with Pro-Cure Bloody Tuna bait oil. Fly anglers also do very well casting

Clouser Minnows.

Boaters often troll just outside the kelp beds near Quartermaster Harbor, the south end of Vashon Island, and Evans Point, north of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. All of these areas are in Area 11, and this year you can keep both clipped and unclipped coho over 20 inches here.

If you venture south to Fox and Hartstine Islands, make sure to release all unclipped coho, as this water is Area 13.

OCEAN-GOING CHINOOK ARRIVE in the South Sound in late June, and with a total of just over 53,000 hatchery kings expected back to the Puyallup and rivers south of there, the fishing will get stronger into July and August. Target the kings by looking for herring and then dropping nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 63

COLUMN

Late June marks the earliest opportunity to get after migrating Chinook, both in the South Sound and on coastal saltwaters. Trolling or mooching a herring is a tried-and-true method, but spoons work well too. (JASON BROOKS)

down below the bait using a Yakima Bait Big Al’s Fish Flash with a green-label cutplug herring trailing 48 inches behind.

Another good bet is an 11-inch Green Hot Spot Dodger with a Coyote Spoon in cop car, wonder bread or army truck, which are some of the top colors.

Downriggers are a must for trolling, but if you don’t have any, mooching a blue- or green-label herring between the Clay Banks and Owens Beach on the north side of Point Defiance is a time-honored tactic. Fishing in June might not be great here, but it’s also usually early enough that the dogfish aren’t too much of a nuisance.

Another popular mooching area is in the Narrows Straits during the incoming tide, especially on a shallow tide swing.

While June’s too early for the arrival of pink salmon, here’s a tip: Even without a bonus limit this year due to low forecasts, be sure to fish the incoming tide on the north side of Browns Point and up to Dash Point State Park in late July and August.

For the outgoing tides, give the south side of Browns Point a go. Bank anglers also do well at both of these public beaches.

Meanwhile, lingcod are open until June 15 in Area 11. The west side of Puget Sound, from Point Evans to Gig Harbor, has a lot of boulders that lings like to hide around. Jigging large, white rubber grubs on a 2-ounce jighead smeared in Butt Juice brings on a bite. You can also get live herring at the Point Defiance Boat House.

It’s hard to beat live bait for lingcod.

Ocean salmon anglers can head out the last Saturday of June to fish the open seas in Marine Areas 1, 3 and 4, with Area 2 opening July 1. Hatchery coho are on tap off not only Ilwaco but also Westport, La Push and Neah Bay this season, unlike in 2016 when they were closed to fishing in all but the southernmost marine area. Until June 24 and July 1, give bottomfishing a try, as the lingcod bite is pretty good through the month. Be aware that new this year is a reduced sea bass limit of seven per day, which is still plenty of fillets for a fish fry once back at home.

YOU MIGHT NOT realize it, but there is one other tasty bounty offered throughout the entire summer in Puget Sound. Coonstripe and pink shrimp are open seven days a 64 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN week, with a 10-pound daily limit. If there is a day open for spot shrimp, you must use a 1-inch mesh pot, but if it is closed for spotties, you can use a ½-inch mesh pot.

The mesh size makes a big difference in catching the smaller coonstripe and pink shrimp. I prefer to keep the larger ones for either deep frying or sautéing in garlic butter. The smaller shrimp are brined for summer steelhead and fall salmon fishing.

Make sure to check the regulations for the marine area you are planning on dropping the shrimp pots in, as there are some depth restrictions in certain areas.

Since shrimp are often found deeper than crab, I have started using gardenhose reels to keep my lines from tangling.

For baiting the traps, I mix canned cat food and canned tuna fish, along with some Pro-Cure Crab and Shrimp Attractant. Use disposable containers when you mix all of this together, as it is a very powerful smell.

Using an old plastic spoon or scoop, make sure to have help holding the pot at the edge of the boat and the bait container

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Whether fried and eaten with cocktail sauce or brined for steelhead or Chinook bait, coonstripe shrimp are available long after spot prawn season closes. (JASON BROOKS)

over the water. Fill the container and then drop overboard. If you use a garden-hose reel, it is easy to pay out the line. When you pull the pots back in, put the shrimp in a well-aerated livewell, or in plastic sandwich bags on ice. Remember, each person must keep their shrimp separate from other anglers on the boat.

JUNE ISN’T KNOWN for being a great or even good salmon fishing month in the

South Sound, but thankfully there are at least opportunities to be had, unlike last year. Don’t waste this chance to get the boat on the water, and if the salmon aren’t biting, give some other options a try. At the very least you might go home with enough shrimp for a great dinner and even some lingcod fillets.

Resident coho are fun to catch and are more plentiful than you might think as well. NS

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COLUMN

Bank and boat anglers work Big Eddy on the upper Skagit River for hatchery spring Chinook. Eggs are a favorite, but some pull plugs for these salmon heading back to the hatchery just upstream of here. (BRETT BARKDULL, WDFW)

Skagit Options Ratchet Up With Springers, Reds Y

es, Virginia, the Skagit’s personaluse fishing seasons

By Doug Huddle have gotten more complicated, but on the brighter side, we are, indeed, fishing for upriver cultured spring Chinook and Bakerbound sockeye this month.

The early king stanza kicks off June 1, with anglers fishing on an expected

NORTH SOUND

overall run of 5,395 spring Chinook, this year composed of a nearly one-to-one ratio of hatchery to wild fish.

Then come Sunday, June 11, Baker River reds become fair game in a lowdown reach of the Skagit. This year’s Baker sockeye run is expected to number around 47,000 fish. However, from time to time during its management history, this stock has either disappointed or surprised watchers, coming in

substantially below or well above annual predictions, so stay tuned.

Both opportunities end together on the ides of July, and it would behoove anglers to take advantage. Firm options and even contingencies for further fishing after mid-July on the Skagit, other freshwater venues and even in northern marine waters, are much less numerous or certain because of anticipated poor returns of coho and wild pink salmon.

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COLUMN BIG WATER, HEFTY BAG LIMIT For anglers in June, the Skagit can be a menacingly muddy, fish-stingy stream. But the 45-day Rockport-toMarblemount fishery’s four-clippedspringer daily limit (only two adults, though) is enough of an incentive to bolster the courage and enthusiasm of many a freshwater king fisher.

The state hatchery’s current program has a relatively modest broodstock need for eggtake of between 200 and 300 adult fish that will come out of a predicted return of 2,610 clipped kings.

The psychological hurdle for anglers is the one-two punch of snowmelt runoff from summer-preview heatwaves, coupled with mini deluges from June showers that often transform the upper river’s winter-gin clearness to the color and consistency of a doubleshot mocha.

The past two springs, though muddy at times, river volumes stayed low because of the relative lack of snowpack.

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But that’s not likely to be the case this month, as winter’s residual snowy mantle is above average.

Typically, discharge peaks in early June, starting the slow but steady descent to fall’s lowest flows of the year.

Ironically, one of the stabilizing influences on upper Skagit flow volume is Seattle City Light’s three reservoirs.

Steady releases from them are mandated to keep a base daily flow of around 4,500 cubic feet per second from Gorge Powerhouse down to Rockport to cover steelhead redds. As the utility throttles back daily, flows drop in the predawn hours to their low point.

Serious fishers of these waters will free up their schedule to be able to take advantage of periods of Goldilocks flows around 5,000 to 6,000 cfs, where there’s ample pool depth and visibility of between 3 and 4 feet.

JUST RIGHT ACCESSES, TOO With ramps at the top and bottom ends of the spring king reach, boat-borne, whether

drift or power, fishers have almost ideal access for fishing. Both the Marblemount (Forest Service) and Rockport (county park) launches accommodate up to large, trailered jet sleds.

A rule change several years back allows Marblemount ramp boaters to fish immediately below the Cascade Road bridge, while lines must come out of the water just a stone’s throw from the bottom cutoff, the State Route 536 bridge in Rockport.

Though it may still appear on some maps, the halfway point launch at Barr Creek, near Highway 20’s MP 100, is not hospitable to larger jet sleds, but drift craft can be slipped into the river.

Overland approaches to the Chinook section are a little more problematic, though with the advent of Wild and Scenic River status and Seattle City Light mitigation monies, more bank parcels have been added to public ownership.

Many of these angling entrees are not marked and it will take some research on the Skagit County Assessor’s website to locate all of them.

Except for some drift-boat and jetsled anglers who pull plugs, most fishers, whether afloat or afoot, work egg clusters, either drifted or plunked in slotwater or the deeper pools.

Ardent dry-foot angler Dave Hambright fixes his own springer baits with an old recipe mix of Pro-Cure powder and cherry Jell-O for a vivid red coloring. Cutting two cluster sizes from skeins, Hambright uses the larger hunks in big water and the lesser (thumb-sized) offerings in the clearer, smaller flows of the lower Cascade River, on which the state salmon hatchery is located.

Besides the soft baits, boat fishers and some bankies will use the Columbia River rig of a K-13 Kwikfish in a chartreuse and red livery and with a laced-on thin herring strip to give it some odor.

Brad’s Wiggler plugs, especially the yellow/orange and rainbow trout pattern colors, also are “pulled” in the deeper pools and tail-outs by boat fishers.

Anglers targeting Skagit spring Chinook are free to use barbed hooks and single trebles, but only in the Rockport-to-Marblemount reach.

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COLUMN Patrick Fagan of Bait 2 Plate hoists a pair of lower Skagit sockeye he plunked out of the river during 2015’s record run. (BAIT2PLATE.COM)

WHERE TO FISH Time spent fishing is better than seeking permission, so look first to these oftenvacant, publicly owned river banks over good water. Most are on the North Cascades Highway side of the river.

The 101 Hole (so-named for the nearby highway milepost) is a stretch of riprapped high bank at the upstream end of the highway frontage. Bankers fish the slot water just off the big rocks protecting the roadway. There are two cautionaries about this site: The first is that it’s private land, though I’ve never heard of any owner objections and it has been used for decades; the second concerns parking, which is highly limited along this section of state highway. You can get tickets for carelessly beaching your automobile along the highway.

Pressentin County Park at Marblemount provides access to the Big and Little Eddies for bank and wading fishers from Highway 20, with parking at the Shell Station. Fee-title ownership of

parcels in this complex of lands fronting the river are held either by Skagit County (the park plot proper) or the Nature Conservancy’s Seattle Office.

Washington Eddy is a complex of state (Department of Fish and Wildlife), land trust, Skagit County, Nature Conservancy and Seattle City Light land parcels encompassing an old farm, as well as sloughs, beaver ponds and wetlands associated with the river just above Rockport. There is also a parcel of Indian trust land, of which you must know the metes and bounds to avoid.

The old but shifting eddy waters are a Chinook holding haven, but getting next to them with dry feet can be extremely difficult to impossible.

The lower Cascade offers wading anglers by far the most approachable water, with several trails coming in off the Cascade River Road on federal lands to what used to be an old pool called the Raspberry Hole.

In addition, anglers may park at the Marblemount Hatchery and walk through the facility or down Clark Creek to get to the river. Be sure to park in an acceptable location there, and do not block any of the facility’s work areas.

UPRIVER ANGLING CAMPS For this late-spring fishery, out-of-area anglers have several close-by choices for overnighting. They are: Howard Miller Steelhead Park, a highly popular riverside multi-option 74 Northwest Sportsman

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park that is operated by Skagit County Parks and Recreation. Contact numbers and information are available through skagitcounty.net.

Clark’s Skagit River Resort, a longstanding family-run business on State Route 20, about 2 miles west of Marblemount. For rates and reservations, log onto northcascades.com.

Rasar State Park, off State Route 20 west of the town of Concrete, and now the nearest state park with overnight RV and tent camping space. For reservations, log onto secure.camis.com/ WA/RasarStatePark.

THE DOWNRIVER RED RUN With pinks, kings and coho off the lower Skagit menu this summer, downstream salmon action will focus solely on the Baker River’s returning sockeye. As with humpies, these salmon move upriver in pulses or schools, so timing and patience are keys to tying into them.

Successful Skagit red fishers usually select the proven combo rig of choice of either a No. 4 winged bobber or No. 6 Corky, in orange, red and pink colors, both garnished with whole sand shrimp.

For a change of pace, anglers often switch to a small hoochie skirt or cloak of yarn in matching red/pink shades to mask their hard baits.

The fishery is open from Memorial Bridge at the downstream end up to Gilligan Creek, which enters the south bank about halfway between Sedro-Woolley and Lyman, through July 15. Do note that the river will be closed June 28-29, July 6-7 and 11 to accommodate Upper Skagit Tribe fisheries. Daily limit is three sockeye.

Perhaps more so than for upriver springers, access for dry-foot fishers is excellent. But anglers should be aware that on diked stretches of river, where it looks like you can get ever-so-close to the water’s edge, either the diking district itself or the landowner on which the levee is located restrict or deny access. Would-be fishers are obligated to know the status of riverbank property and always seek permission before venturing out to fish.

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Park on the west side of the river just below the Memorial Bridge provides boat fishers a launch point. Be careful not to keep sockeye until you are upstream of the bridge, though. WDFW’s Youngs Bar access, also in West Mount Vernon, as well as the city’s Lions Park off Freeway Drive are alternative sockeye accesses.

In Burlington, there’s ample bank space along the city’s lengthy Skagit River Park complex, which starts just above the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe bridge at Johnsons Bar and runs up to the Roger Tjeerdsma Access and its broad concrete ramp at the foot of Gardner Road, off East Rio Vista Avenue. Additional street accesses to this park are off Whitmarsh and East Gilkey Roads.

The broad, slow-moving stretch of water above Gardner Road launch is considered one of the best places for boatborne anglers to anchor up for sockeye.

Along the Sedro-Woolley reach, fishers on the north side of the river should look to the vicinity of the venerable Stink Hole on River Road, at the foot of Fruitdale Road, as the best spot for unrestricted access. Elsewhere, use care on the north bank, since tribal and private ownerships predominate.

The City of Sedro-Woolley’s Riverfront Park on River Road east of Township Street also has a good launch ramp, though it can be in the current sometimes.

Upstream of the Highway 9 Bridge, the South Skagit Highway traces the river bank to within a mile of Gilligan Creek.

Anglers can start at the bank under the state bridge itself and hit virtually every pullout at the top of the bank east of there, except those with private homes, the Tarheel Bar, which is owned by the Wildcat Steelheaders, and within 100 feet of the Skagit PUD water intake.

NEXT ISSUE: Black bear previews plus high lakes and “hog” waters. NS Editor’s note: Doug Huddle lives in Bellingham, is retired from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and has written about hunting and fishing in the Northwest for more than 34 years.

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COLUMN

Moon Run Steelhead S

teelhead do most of their migrating during times when the light is low, like early or late in BUZZ RAMSEY the day, and/or on overcast days. It’s just a fact that most fish move into tributaries and upstream during twilight time periods. Sure, their upstream migration can be tied to rain events, but it doesn’t rain all that much during the summer here (though who knows with how wet this year has been), so fish do a lot of their swimming during the cover of low light.

And while it should be obvious that migration will increase during times when twilight periods are extended by a full moon, I’m not sure how many anglers plan their summer steelhead adventures around the peak movement caused by the moon lighting up the nighttime sky. On rivers influenced by ocean tides, you should also realize that the biggest migration event of the month might occur when a nighttime tide coincides with a full moon.

Steelhead can drive us a bit loonie, and they just may react to moon phases as well. June marks a great time to get after summer-runs across western portions of Oregon and Washington, where Kristin Bishop, guide Shea Fisher and Sara Dodd had a great day during the 2015 season. (KRISTIN BISHOP)

STREAM TROUT ANGLERS might be questioning this logic. After all, the last thing you might do is plan a fishing adventure during a full moon cycle because you’ve correctly learned that in most cases the bellies of trout are full from hours of feeding when the orb lights up the nighttime sky. Better to plan trout trips when the moon has gone dark, especially where natural forage is plentiful.

But it’s different with sea-going trout.

After all, on many Westside rivers lures and bait offered by anglers represent as many or more feeding opportunities than nature. The biggest factor in finding summer steelhead success is having plentiful numbers of fish around, especially ones that have just arrived to their home stream. These new arrivals often bite best

because they haven’t yet grown weary of lures and baits slung at them.

IF YOU’RE BANK-BOUND, summer water conditions favor methods like bobber and jig, drift fishing, and casting and retrieving spinners. No matter which you employ, realize summer steelhead have a real nose for bait. Because of this, float or drift fishing with naturals like sand shrimp, egg clusters, crawdads, even a nightcrawler threaded on the leader above a single hook all work.

And although the egg skeins taken

from a hen summer steelhead will be small and immature this month, don’t discard them – they make great bait. Just like larger egg skeins taken from winter steelhead or fall salmon, these skeins can be cured, refrigerated or frozen, and on the hook they hold well due to the thick membrane surrounding them.

Combining lures and bait can be your ticket to summer-run success. For example, you can tip the hook of a jig suspended under a float with the tail from a small sand shrimp, worm, or small section sliced from the immature egg

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cluster harvested from a recently caught steelhead. Another way of adding scent to your jig offering might be to extend an 18-inch leader from it. It’s simple, just attach a small octopus hook to a leader and connect the free end to the bend of your jig hook and slide the knot toward the jig head as far as possible, which will help when positioning your jig horizontally under your float. You can then add one of the above baits to the trailing hook.

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is to drift fish a Lil’ Corky single-egg imitation with an egg cluster or sand shrimp. Drifting a Corky and bait in the low or slow water often encountered during summer might mean trimming your weight down to just a few split shot or a three- or four-shot slinky.

For experienced anglers, spinners represent a viable option when pursuing summer steelhead. Spinners allow you to cover a large amount of water in a short period of time and, likely due to their flash and sonic vibration, steelhead strike spinners with a vengeance. Adding bait or scent to your spinner can increase its appeal. What I’ve found is that tipping one prong of the hook with a short section from a PowerBait or Gulp! scent-filled worm or grub can increase hook-ups.

WHILE HAVING MORE steelhead present during and after the influence of a full moon can increase catch rates all day long, in most cases the fish will still bite best during the early morning and late evening.

Oregon rules say you can start fishing an hour before sunrise until an hour after sunset. This is well into the twilight time period, when a glow-in-the-dark steelhead jig or Corky charged with a flashlight or camera strobe might outproduce other offerings.

All the better in Washington, where night fishing is mostly legal (check local regulations to be sure) and when you can fish a glow-in-the-dark offerings for hours under the light of a full moon. NS Editor’s note: The author is a brand manager and part of the management team at Yakima Bait. Like Buzz on Facebook.

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Summer Days’

FISHING

Dreams

The power and beauty of steelhead call Sara to the river in June.

By Sara Ichtertz

W

hen the days grow long and the nights become warm, once the bugs have hatched and the goslings are well on their way to becoming geese, there is one magical creature on my mind. I eagerly change out my fishing gear to start my summertime pursuit after the hottest fish of all.

The salmon are in thickest at that point, and yet my heart so eagerly changes direction. Many men still pile into the springer holes in search of just one more. I, however, have no desire to continue after that temperamental fish.

What I desire lies in the highly oxygenated pockets and glistens brighter than any diamond has ever dreamed. If you are lucky enough to find one, your life will be lit up brighter than the Fourth of July. These fish I speak of not only are stunningly beautiful, but pound for pound I have yet to meet a fish more fired up and explosive. With acrobatics unlike any other, everything about summer steelhead comes hot and fast. These fish are the very reason my heart is on the river, and when it’s time to fish for them, a feeling of total euphoria comes over me.

This euphoria I speak of also comes over my son, and I love it. When springer season was upon us, my boy joyfully rubbed his hands together not for the salmon he has yet to target, but for that stealthy beautiful steelhead that lies beneath these waters. Watching him envisioning

the run ahead is probably one of the best things I have seen in my life.

THE WATER WHERE we prefer to battle these fish is moving. No sooner than you set the hook, there is an 80 percent chance you should be ready to get your tip into that river because they will come shooting straight out of the water, over and over. Acrobats of this nature are thrilling and quite the sight, but they are so fired up that if you allow too many leaps, they will snap your leader or spit your rigging, leaving you with that horrible and yet amazing feeling of why?!? You’re left unsure whether you should laugh or cry, but you quickly rerig your rod and go to it again. They come swimming at you

a million miles a second, it feels like, and no matter how fast you wind down on them, they will just keep coming. The last thing you want is to have them turn on you, screaming downriver past the tailout. One thing is for sure: Whether it’s fishing or life, we don’t always get what we want.

Those fish ripping downriver are the perfect example of this. With a steady footing and the perfectly set drag, you let them test you to see what you are made of, and test you they will. Whether I come back with a fish or not, I have to say that that very stretch of river has made me the angler I am today, the mother I am today, and I am thankful for each hot summer fish we have encountered.

There is a fair amount of both

The broad tail of a summer steelhead reveals the power these fish have to not only jump over low falls but break fishing lines and anglers hearts – as well as endear themselves with fishermen like author Sara Ichtertz. (SARA ICHTERTZ) nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 87

FISHING hatchery and wild steelhead to this little run, and I find myself fulfilled in all my angling desires. The start to last year’s run couldn’t have been any better had I written it up ahead of time. My boy showed us how much his strength and skill had grown since the winter, and the first two fish of the run went to Nate, one hatchery and one wild. Just like that, we were off and chasing. I love how once you have an idea of where they will be lying, these are fish that time and time again you can hook on the first cast!

Possibly even the first three casts. That is the best we have ever done.

Hatchery and wild, summer-runs give fishermen a great tussle, and can be found returning up select streams in western portions of Oregon, where LeRoy Ichtertz battles one. (SARA ICHTERTZ)

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LAST YEAR I encountered what was the biggest wild summer steelhead I have ever seen. Not only was I lucky enough to see him, but I was blessed that I hooked him as well. He chose my rigging!

His demeanor was not what I would say was typical of the summers I fight. For half the fight, I thought he very well could have been a springer, as he was not erupting out of the river erratically. No, he was swimming relatively deep and upriver. When he surfaced and I saw that he was in fact a monster steelhead, I began to tremble! Never had I wanted to land a fish so bad in my entire life!

By the time he surrendered to me and I grasped onto his tail, laying him on his side, I was beyond amazed.

His girth was massive! He had the most beautiful iridescent pink band, along with that stunning silver.

These are the most beautiful colors in all of nature, and I am thankful to know them like I do. These are the fish I love to photograph, though my photos of him did him no justice.

With shoulders that I had only seen on handsome wild winter bucks, I was in total awe. Unable to grasp around his tail entirely, I shared that briefest moment with a true wild beauty. He was everything I had ever hoped for, and then I let him go.

Splish-splashing out of my hands, he swam back into the waters from which he came.

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FISHING I looked to my family with an erupting heart and a smile bigger than the wild buck I had just released, thinking this is where it’s at for me, I could know no greater joy! The coolest thing about it all was I know my family felt it too. Those warm summer nights on the river with them means more to me than any earthly possession ever could.

The fact that we have decent numbers of hatchery fish has been such a blessing to me. Not only because my daughter Ava has instant entertainment in the first fish I tag each time, but who doesn’t love to barbecue a fresh summer fish you caught for your family?

WHEN THESE FISH first came into our life, my babes were small yet big enough that nothing was stopping me. At this point I wasn’t honestly a confident fisher. I was still nervous of so many things. The anticipation of

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it all was almost more than I could bear! Hooking, fighting, losing and landing hatchery fish put a lot of those worries to the test and to rest all in one, which was exactly what I needed as a new angler. I told myself, “There is only one way you are going to figure this out, Sara: Pack up your gear and your babes and go for it.”

So I did. The things I would worry about I still sometimes wonder, “Do all fishermen think about this? Or is it me, because I am a woman?”

I may never know, but I wholeheartedly believe those worries, those little details, have something to do with why these fish now fear me like they do!

The first run I fished for summer steelhead, my babes were still so little and sweet. They cheered me on from their forts in the willows as I gave it my best. Their cheerful spirits, the beautiful water I have always loved, beyond-fired-up fish that wanted to bite – how could I not succeed? During

Even after they left her 0-7 one day, Sara loves summer steelhead with a passion. “These fish have brought out the best in me since day one and continue to do so each year,” she writes.

(SARA ICHTERTZ)

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that run, I lost more fish than I landed, that is the truth. But I succeeded. The knowledge I gained about where the fish will be lying, how and when to use my gear, hooking, fighting, and landing these fish – some days without a soul in sight – was very empowering to me as a mom and as a fisher. Being a mom, I could rock multitasking, just as any mom does daily. The only difference was, this mom and her kids were on the riverbank making memories, hunting for rocks and summer steelhead.

If I was told tomorrow I was only allowed to target one fish for the rest of my days, I would instantly choose these fish. I would pick these fired-up little jewels that spend their summer through the fall up Steamboat Creek.

It takes a special river to house these incredible creatures, one that runs cold, strong, and true throughout the warmest parts of the year.

Without a doubt, this river is worthy of these beautiful fish. The window of time that they are just as eager as we are truly is brief, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world! Never have I met such a magnificent bite with such an incredible outcome. There is something about these fish that is beyond special to me: Everything about them. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say summer steelhead are the keepers of my heart. I think of them no matter the fish I am chasing. They make loving them easy! Even on the day that I went 0-7 – yes, 0-7! – I walked away from the bank grinning, shaking my head, high on steelhead, and ready for more!

These are not your average fish, nor am I what you would call your average woman, so I find them very fitting. I find them beyond exhilarating and fun! I absolutely love that my babes can share that bank and those fish with me. These fish have brought out the best in me since day one and continue to do so each year. Because of them, my heart is on the river, and I couldn’t change it, even if I tried. NS

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Northwest Sportsman 95

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Herzog Looks Back, Ahead Part II of II

With a head freshly shaved in anticipation of getting a Judas Priest lightning bolt tattoo on his noggin, Bill Herzog speaks during a recent outdoor radio show broadcast. (BILL HERZOG) Editor’s note: In the first part of this series last issue, Bill Herzog talked about his early life as an angler, guiding for awhile, and exploits both on and off the river.

A

h, yes, The General.

He is a rare bird, for sure. On the surface he’s a madman. Start a WIESTSIDER conversation with

By Terry Wiest Zog and he’ll have you in stitches within minutes. On the rivers, he is the emporer of the genus Oncorynchus, backed by sheer numbers of fish and trophies that are legendary in Northwest anglerdom.

Beyond the surface, however, is a different person, one with a deep love for the fish he has mastered. Indeed, the self-proclaimed leader of the Judas Priest fan club – who will soon sport a lightning bolt tattoo on his freshly shaved head – has a sensitive side.

Following last issue’s extended interview, I sat down again with my quickwitted friend Bill Herzog and dug into the

mind of this steelheading genius for more on what he’s doing to marshal support for his favorite species, who’s to blame for the diminished runs and what he’d like to see done more of on the rivers.

But first, a little about strikes of a different kind ...

Terry Wiest: So I heard there’s another name you’re stuck with that we haven’t brought up yet – “The Landlord?”

Bill Herzog: Oh, you know it. I’ve had some decent success in bowling leagues and tournaments. A bowling alley is known as a “house.” So, someone referred to me as “The Landlord” – it stuck. And you know, I am a bowler first and a fisherman second!

TW: What’s your average?

BH: As of late it’s a 219. I have 19 sanctioned 300 games during league and tournament play, and I also held the fourgame scratch record at Kitsap Bowl with a

COLUMN 1,091. For those of you wondering, that’s a 272 average for four games.

TW: So rumor has it you’re actually on quite a few committees and groups advocating for wild steelhead?

BH: Yes, true – but not only wild steelhead. I want to make that clear. If a system can sustain hatchery steelhead, I’m totally for it. We need fish to be able to harvest. Heck, we just need fish to be able to fish. If we can’t fish for wild steelhead to let them recover, I’m all for fishing for hatchery steelhead. Go out, bonk your two and have a nice meal.

I’m keeping very busy doing my part to bring back steelheading to Puget Sound. Puget Sound is the birthplace of steelhead. Not Canada. Not the coast.

Puget Sound. I’m determined to do everything in my power to make sure that I catch my last steelhead where I caught my first [the Puyallup].

TW: Those groups are?

BH: First off, Wild Steelheaders United.

Again, we’re all for wild steelhead, but when viable, hatchery steelhead too. And don’t misquote me on this [laughs].

I’m also involved with Trout Unlimited and have been appointed, along with 16 others, by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to the Puget Sound Steelhead Advisory Group.

TW: A few years ago you were quoted talking about a steelhead permit lottery.

Now it’s the “Four is enough” campaign.

What’s the latter all about?

BH: Brian O’Keefe actually is the brains behind the Four is enough movement.

Basically, what this involves is paying forward to those anglers behind us on the river. It’s self-governing, so no regulations need to be changed. It’s a matter of getting the word out, believing in it and practicing it.

We as anglers have become too freakin’ good. Between experience, better science and better gear, the fish don’t have a chance. Generally speaking, the first couple boats down a river can now destroy the fish – double-digit days and hookups in every hole. Fantastic,

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Northwest Sportsman 97

COLUMN right?! But the more anglers down the river, the worse it gets for them. By the end of the day, or at least a weekend, you have all the fish in that river being hooked at least once.

This is something we can control. So, after we hook four fish and bring them to hand, we have a boat ride the rest of the day. We don’t need dead fish, and Lord knows we all have our share of gripand-grin shots. This is more than that: It’s about having success and then allowing others behind us to have success as well.

Have you seen our rivers and scenery?

It’s breathtaking. Get your camera out and share some pictures of what you’re experiencing, not just dead fish.

Catch and release used to be the big thing. In my opinion, it’s abused. Catch and release is a problem, especially for hatchery fish. Bonk those damn things – nothing but living pollution, anyway.

We did some studies with biologists on a popular river. It was determined that 129 percent of the fish in the river at the

Herzog, here with one of his biggest steelhead, a British Columbia fish, is calling on anglers to change their mindset about the species to help bring the stocks and fisheries back around. He’s advocating against bait and boat angling, and supports Brian O’Keefe’s “Four is enough” campaign. (BILL HERZOG) time were caught. That means every fish was caught at least once, some twice. Do we really think those fish are going to spawn now?

This is a huge grassroots movement.

We need to get the word out. Four is enough!

LLC

TW: Besides this movement, anything else that may help?

BH: Absolutely. If I had my way, boats would be used for transportation only on select waters. We have to leave some sanctuary on rivers to give steelhead a break. I know a lot of guides and sporties will be pissed at me for saying this, but I do think it will work until we can get our stocks back up. The Green River in King County was this way for years. Nobody complained because at least we got to fish.

TW: What about a no-bait rule, as many try to get passed each year?

BH: Who needs bait? For salmon

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absolutely, but steelhead, I haven’t used bait since 1944. If you need bait to catch a steelhead, you suck.

I stopped using bait the minute I discovered the pink nail polish Okie Drifters. Best lure ever! I used to have hundreds if not thousands of them. I’m now down to 38 and only use them on special occasions. Imitations just don’t work like the original.

TW: So in your opinion, who is to blame?

BH: We all are. I don’t think there’s one group or problem that we can pinpoint and say, “Hey, you f’d up the steelhead fishing.” You know the tribes catch a sh*tload of fish, but then again so have I. There was a time when me and three buddies destroyed the fish on the

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COLUMN Nisqually, hooking 66 fish in one day out of one hole! That’s when we actually had fish. But look what good it did now by pumping our egos up.

And what about the guy who says “I only took my two,” as he’s holding two hens loaded with 10,000 eggs that will never get a chance to spawn?

The commercials? You know they take their fish too.

Let’s just say it’s human nature; if it’s legal, we will fish for them. For some, even if it’s illegal.

It’s not going to take regulations to turn things around; it’s going to take a different mindset.

In my early years I never batted an eye. Now what’s always on my mind is, How we can save our steelhead? If it takes everyone to stop fishing for five years to bring them back, I’m in. Whatever it takes, I’m in, and you can quote me on that.

TW: So there was a video recently posted [steelheadcountry.org] in which I swear

you looked like you were purposefully hiding your face to shield the camera from tears as you looked into a hole on one of your South Sound rivers – perhaps where you caught your very first steelhead?

BH: Ah sh*t – guilty. Yep, that was the Puyallup, and I was standing in the exact spot I hooked my first steelhead. It took nearly 10 minutes to compose myself. I’m an emotional cat, you know.

TW: What about radio? What really caused you to walk away?

are flushed and others are dropping from the sky. I love rock, the louder the better, so if you fish with me, it’s join in or wear ear plugs.

TW: So how do you see the future of steelhead fishing.

BH: Thin. We all gotta play our part. I think we’ll know in three or four years where we’re headed. It’s not looking great. We need the big players to get on board with Four is enough. Rules aren’t going to change crap. We need to take control ourselves as stewards of our sport.

BH: Bowling, man – that’s it. I love radio.

Love entertaining, but I wanted to give bowling a real shot to see if I could make a few bucks. I still get on the air occasionally. Who knows, maybe I’ll pick up a gig and become regular again. It’s cool sh*t having the power to crank up Judas, Black Sabbath or AC/DC.

TW: Speaking of, you rock out when you go fishing.

BH: You know it! I have the tunes cranked so loud the windows are shaking, game birds

TW: Anything to close out?

BH: Steelheading is like a Judas Priest song – “Victim of Changes.” Let’s not let our steelhead fall victim to those things we are able to change. Four is enough – and rock on! NS Editor’s note: Terry J. Wiest is the author of Steelhead University: Your Guide to Salmon & Steelhead Success and Float-Fishing for Salmon & Steelhead, and is the owner of Steelhead University, SteelheadU.com.

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COLUMN

Tapp Into Tigers F

or a summer warmwater fix in the greater Seattle area, I prefer Lake Tapps over Lakes Washington THE KAYAK GUYS or Sammamish. The

By Scott By Sco cott tt Brenneman Bre renn nnem eman bass here are not nearly the size of those in the two lakes to the north, but Tapps has tiger muskies too. It is one of seven lakes that are stocked with them in Washington, and it is the hunt for these large toothy creatures that draws me to this water.

FIGURING OUT THE PUZZLE

A kayak angler keeps an eye out for suspended tiger muskies at Lake Tapps, outside Tacoma. It’s one of seven lakes in Washington stocked with the hybrid species for sportďŹ shing opportunities. (SCOTT BRENNEMAN)

If fishing Tapps for the first time, circle the lake prior to launching and take note of the locations of the bass boats already on the water. It is a big benefit to see where others are fishing, even if they are targeting smallmouth, since there is quite a bit of habitat overlap between the two species. It will also identify the highpressure fishing areas that you might want to avoid.

Access is limited to two parks on opposite ends of the lake. Lake Tapps County Park, located on the northeast side, is a good choice for launching.

Paddling out, you will quickly realize that there are many options for where to fish.

The lake, which is reservoir, has a surface area that covers up to 4.5 square miles, and with its many islands, inlets and bays, there is 45 miles of total shoreline that you can throw your lures at. The

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COLUMN

Work the shorelines and shallow bays for muskies. Being able to stand up in your kayak allows you to use figure-eights and L-patterns to tempt followers into biting – just don’t set that hook too hard or you’ll be in the drink with a mad tiger! (SCOTT BRENNEMAN)

varied conditions make Tapps a training laboratory for honing your warmwater fishing skillset. The numerous bays, inlets, and island clusters are all potential highpercentage areas for targeting muskies.

Tiger muskies can be described as unpredictably predictable. Their behavior changes as the water warms. They become predictably aggressive and transition to summer home-range patterns. What is unpredictable is the size of these ranges and the distance that each fish travels within their respective home waters. Stay on the move to intercept these toothy creatures, power-fishing to cover as much water as possible.

Fish the many points and inlets by trolling parallel to the shore. Start a couple hundred feet off the bank. Work the deeper breaklines first, working your way shallower to about 10 feet, then transitioning to casting toward the shoreline as you work inward.

Standing really helps with casting and being able to see muskies in the shallows; just be mindful of making an aggressive hook-set if your kayak is not 104 Northwest Sportsman

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a wide-bodied craft.

As you retrieve your lure, guide it across the bow of your kayak with the fishing rod tip in the water, then reverse course back across the bow and to the side in an L-shaped pattern. This increases the chance of triggering a last-minute strike from a following tiger muskie.

Look for locations with woody debris next to drop-offs; these are prime muskie hot spots. The numerous shallow bays are worth exploring, as many tiger muskies spend most of their summertime camping out in these murky waters.

It can be a grind to find and hook a tiger muskie. If frustration sets in, take a break and target smallmouth bass.

Explore the areas of flooded timber. These locations receive lots of pressure but there are places that larger boats cannot get to.

Seek out spots that are only accessible to kayaks and you will find willing biters.

WHAT TO BRING Getting outfitted for tiger muskies is an easy transition. Traditional salmon gear works great. A medium to medium-heavy conventional set-up and a spinning salmon rod with a fast tip will perform well. Set a levelwind up for trolling a hard bait and have a spinning rod for casting bucktails. The fast action is essential to work your crankbaits and bucktail spinners effectively.

To eliminate break-offs from these toothy creatures, use a minimum of 60-pound-test mono, fluorocarbon or metal leaders. Leader length doesn’t have to be longer than 8 to 12 inches. If I can spot a fish really shallow in clearer water, I will take my chances with 30-pound fluorocarbon. For added insurance against submerged timber, consider tying on some 20-pound mono for abrasion resistance when fishing with braid.

The majority of forage fish in Tapps are undersized due to the lake’s unproductive habitat. Low water temps, turbidity from suspended glacial runoff, and the annual drawdown of the lake in winter are contributing factors that keep fish on the smaller size. The upside is that oversized, expensive muskie lures are not necessary; lures in the 4- to 6-inch range will work well.

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Northwest Sportsman 105

Tapps tigers can be tackled by trolling plugs or casting bucktails and crankbaits. Blake Ellison, then 16 and ďŹ shing out of a boat, caught this very nice one last spring on a jointed jerkbait.

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Color-match lures to the-soft rayed fish in the lake that the muskies feed on.

Their primary diet is the largescale sucker, but others include yellow perch and redside shiners. Use color combinations that mimic species. Essentials include black/silver, fire tiger, and reds/oranges contrasting with black.

A small selection of bucktail spinners is your best option for success. These lures are hard to come by in these parts, but it is easy enough to outfit the business end of a No. 5 or 6 spinner with bucktail, marabou or Flashabou. Wrap heavyduty sewing thread around the shaft of the hook, glue, then add some bucktail, pulling out loose hairs afterwards. Repeat this process to desired fullness.

To round out your tackle have an assortment of Husky jerkbaits, X-Raps, crankbaits and swimbaits. NS

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(FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

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Northwest Sportsman 107

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COLUMN

It’s going to be a great year to fish Banks Lake for walleye, reports author Dave Graybill, whose daughter Whitney shows off a real nice one from the northern Columbia Basin reservoir. Surveys last fall found an impressive year-class will be available this season. (DAVE GRAYBILL)

Cash In On Banks Walleye

C

e n t r a l Washington is famous for its walleye fishing.

Destinations such as Moses Lake, Potholes CENTRAL WASHINGTON Reservoir and Banks

By Dave Graybill Lake have attracted serious walleye anglers for years, as these lakes are known for consistent catches. Potholes has been about as good as any lake could be in recent years, while Moses has moved up on the chart as a “must-fish” water. And according to the draft 2016 fall walleye index netting (FWIN) survey conducted on several walleye waters in Central Washington, Banks promises to offer the

best fishing for the species this coming season.

In recent years, I was fortunate to have been able to fish Potholes when it offered amazing walleye fishing practically yearround. It will still be very much worth a trip this season. FWIN stats show that although walleye numbers are down on the reservoir, the number in the 16- to 20inch class remains very strong, so it is an excellent choice for anglers.

Moses has been a favorite spring walleye destination for me for over a decade. Walleye numbers are up over last year, which makes it an excellent choice for anglers. Better yet, the number of fish in the 20- to 24-inch range is higher than average, so anglers who want whoppers

over numbers will put Moses on their list of walleye waters to visit this spring.

When the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conducted its FWIN survey on Banks last fall, the results were very impressive. The number of walleye recorded was the highest ever there.

There has been a higher-than-average catch per unit effort (CPUE) on Banks since 2012, when that year’s production of young walleye was the highest ever seen on the reservoir. This year class has been dominant in every survey since 2012, and those fish are now four years old, and represent 52 to 83 percent of the FWIN catch.

What this means for anglers is that not only are walleye abundant in Banks Lake,

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COLUMN

Twenty-seven miles long and covering nearly 27,000 acres, Banks sits in upper Grand Coulee, which was carved by catastrophic ice age floods down to the granite basement rock, making for a historic and scenic fishery to work at a pleasant time of year. (DAVE GRAYBILL) the fish average 16.5 inches in length.

The survey showed walleye size is above the long-term average, and 87 percent are between 12 and 24 inches, with the abundance of 16- to 24-inch fish up over last year. About 60 percent of the walleye were at least 16 inches long. There has been only two years since 2002 with higher abundance of walleye this size in Banks. Conclusion: It’s going to be a terrific year to fish for walleye here!

BY JUNE WALLEYE fishing is in high gear throughout Banks. The fish will be hungry and feeding. Walleye fishing can be good from the bottom to the top of the 42-square-mile reservoir, but I usually focus on the Barker Flats area, which is west of Steamboat Rock, and I launch out of Northrup. This is one of the most popular spots on Banks. You should expect to find several boats trolling 110 Northwest Sportsman

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around Barker Flats.

Also, by June fish should be moving into more shallow water. In the early spring, they are found as deep as 50 feet or more, but by June there should be good numbers of walleye in 30 feet or less. This will depend on how warm a spring we get and how quickly the water temperatures come up after the long winter we had in Central Washington.

When I arrive on the flats I go into search mode. I put some baits down and keep my eyes glued to the depth sounder, looking for the tell-tale marks of walleye on the bottom. I will start trolling with two different offerings. One will be a worm harness rig with a whole nightcrawler behind a blade. The other will be Super Slow Death Hook, which will either have a whole or portion of a nightcrawler, and a blade and a couple of beads.

There are a tremendous number of

different worm harness set-ups to choose from on the shelves of sporting goods stores that sell walleye tackle. I have used a great many with varied success. Last year I started out with the spinner blade made by Dutch Fork Custom Lures. It was their new Turtle Shell in blu tiger. This worked so well that I never switched all season, and it didn’t just work on Banks.

It caught fish on Potholes and Moses too.

I also put the same blade on both my worm harness and Slow Death Hook rigs.

Many anglers will use a Smile Blade ahead of these rigs, in a variety of colors.

Ahead of the hook I run a 10- to 12-pound-test fluorocarbon leader that’s at least 36 inches long. I find a 2-ounce bottom walker-style sinker adequate for the depth of water I fish in May. This should make it possible to get good bottom contact at the speed that I am trolling, which is 1 mile per hour or less.

I can use this same set-up at many locations on Banks. There are other spots worth looking at between Steamboat and Barker Flats, and many start behind Steamboat or out in front in what is known as Devils Punchbowl.

ANOTHER METHOD THAT I am fairly new to

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but have found very effective is trolling crankbaits. When the walleye are hitting cranks, it is a fantastic way to go, and a lot of fun.

Once again, there are dozens of different plugs to choose from, but when I look in my tackle box and do an inventory, I find mostly Rapalas and Flicker Shads.

Crawfish are abundant in all the reservoirs in the region, and I have many plugs that are crawfish patterns. I have quite a few that are perch pattern and then others in a variety of colors and patterns. Some work better on some days, and if I had a recommendation on color, it would be to try bright ones on bright days and dark ones on cloudy or overcast days.

I find that I use plugs in sizes 5, 7 and 9, relatively speaking. How far behind the boat I run them depends on their size and the depth I am trying to reach. Sometimes I am trying to get them close to bottom, and other times I am trolling either over or next to weedbeds. As a general rule, you will want to put them from 75 to 100 feet or more behind the boat and troll them much faster than a worm harness or Super Slow Death Hook – by which I mean at least twice as fast.

One of my favorite places to pull crankbaits for walleye is off the boat launch site named Million Dollar Mile North, which can be seen to the left as you leave the rock cut at the Million Dollar Mile, heading uplake. I start here in about 12 to 14 feet of water and troll off or just above the weedbeds on the shoreline. The further you go toward “Rosebush,” a popular walleye landmark here, you enter a boulder field. This can interfere with your trolling. You can also find fish by trolling downlake from this same location.

A COUPLE OF my favorite stories about fishing Banks involve taking my daughter.

One time, I ran one rod out the back 112 Northwest Sportsman

JUNE 2017 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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Members of the Engley clan – David, Ryan and Keren – are about to give this Banks Lake fishcleaning station a good workout after filling their limits plus the photographer’s while pulling worm harnesses last season. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST) of the boat and put it in a holder. Before I had the other rod completely out I heard Whitney making some noise. Turning around I saw her wrestling with a rod that was fully bent over. She managed to bring the fish to the boat and I got it in the net. The walleye was 26 inches long and was her first.

The next year, in June, we started our day fishing a Super Slow Death Hook with my favorite spinner. Once again, I was just setting the second rod out when I noticed the first rod bending over. I handed her the rod and she really struggled getting the fish up to the boat. We both yelled when it got close enough to see. This fish turned out to be a walleye that was 30 inches long. I have never seen anyone with this kind of luck with walleye!

Who knows, you could have the same kind of luck. If you are looking for a quality day of walleye fishing this summer, with the chance of landing some braggingsize fish, I would suggest that you make the trip to Banks Lake. Don’t be surprised if you see me there doing exactly the same thing. NS Editor’s note: Dave Graybill is a longtime North-central Washington angler and fishing writer (fishingmagician.com), and he is also a member of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.

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Northwest Sportsman 113

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FISHING Most smallmouth caught in the Yakima River delta in June will weigh 1½ to 2 pounds, but there will be a few larger ones in the mix, like this bass caught

by Todd Offsthun.

(WAYNE HEINZ)

Last Shot At Yak Bass Smallies staging for outmigrating salmon smolts make the delta a great spot to fish this month.

By Wayne Heinz

A

pril. What a bummer! River roared – flood stage – the whole month. High, swift, cold, muddy. Thousands of smallies swam upriver to spawn. Few got caught. But there’s a bright side.

Those bass swim back to the Columbia – soon. Skinnier, yes.

But hungry! Where are those spawned-out smallies? They’re dining on the delta.

SMOLTS FOR SUPPER Your post-flood strategy? Simple.

Ambush ’em! Each year, in the

last two weeks of May, the Yakama Nation releases 1.8 million fall Chinook smolts into the Yakima River near Chandler.

By mid-June, the 3½- to 4-inch smolts spill into the Columbia at Bateman Island. These swimming dinners drift right into the maws of ravenous bass.

The banquet extends over 6 acres of sand flats. It’s quite a sight. Gulls squawking, terns diving, smolts surfing, V-wakes close behind. Wolf packs of bass – thrashing, slashing, gaining weight back by the hour.

Drift your boat in about 10 feet of water, 80 yards or so west of

Bateman. You’ll need a mediumaction spinning rod, plugs that run 6 to 10 feet deep, and wideopen eyes. When you spot terns wheeling, move fast. Cut your motor 30 yards from the birds.

Plugs for the smolt bite: Rapala 5-inch Shad Raps, Berkley 5-inch Flicker Minnows, 3-inch Rat-LTraps. Both solid-body and jointed plugs work. Colors: silver, shad, holographic. Why a spinning rod?

Long, quick casts.

JOIN THE FEEDING FRENZY Plugging, you have two retrieve choices: slow and steady, or stop nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 117

FISHING and go. The bass don’t care. You will land a higher percentage of your strikes when you crank steady.

Expect to land a dozen bass an hour. Most will weigh 1½ to 2 pounds.

Lose a fish? Keep reeling.

Another bass will hit. And, yes, you will catch two bass on one plug.

Fishing with a partner? Double hookups are common.

Leave your net at home – no time to untangle hooks. You have a limited window to fish.

When the frenzy dies, patience.

The birds will find a new school.

Run-and-gun bassin’.

You’ll have company. That’s OK. We’re all catching fish. Releasing fish.

Smiling.

TRY A SOFT APPROACH Do you prefer fishing soft plastics?

Fish Carolina-rigged flukes and tubes on a 3- to 4-foot mono leader, behind a ¼-ounce sliding egg sinker. This works just as well as plugs. But your catch rate will be slower.

Try a Zoom 4-inch Super Fluke

When Chinook smolts (above) hit the Yakima Delta, drift a fluke to imitate one. (NOAA, WAYNE HEINZ)

or Bass Pro Shops 4-inch Shady Shad on a 3/0 Gamakatsu Extra Wide Gap hook. Use 8-pound-test Berkley Fireline, with an 8-pound fluorocarbon leader.

Bass nips your fluke, then drops it? Slide a No. 1, single-point stinger onto your regular hook.

Trebles snag weeds.

Fish a 3-inch Gitzit on a 2/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. Yamamoto 3½-inch Tubes and Zoom 4-inch Salty Super Tubes also catch bass on the sand flats. A 3-foot leader allows your bait to swing naturally with the current.

Or slow-retrieve a ¼-ounce, 5-inch curl-tail jig. Any pearl or silver pattern will do. Oddly, dark grubs sometimes outproduce light grubs. Strike? Tighten your line.

Sweep-set the hook.

Prefer drifting weightless curly tails? Add Berkley Gulp! Alive! minnow scent your bait. Then run the tip of the grub through a 1/0 Gamakatsu octopus hook. Use a 2-foot leader. At the strike, resist setting the hook. Just slowly tighten your line and reel the fish in.

FISH THE MUDLINE Warmer, lighter Yakima water flows on top of colder, heavier Columbia water. Although the surface water beneath your boat may look muddy, the deeper water where your bait drifts flows clear.

Smolts often swim at the interface of these layers, where the cold water they prefer mixes with the cloudy water they hide in.

Smallies follow.

118 Northwest Sportsman

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Northwest Sportsman 119

Anchor over 20 feet of water where the trench inside Bateman Island meets the Columbia. Now you are 50 to 70 yards upstream of the visible tip of the island. Smallies lay over the gravel, where current sweeps bait across the real, unseen tip of the island.

When the Yakima’s mud plume pushes way out into the Columbia, you’ll catch smallies off the northeast upstream tip of Bateman.

The Reyes brothers – Ivan, Levi and Issac – show off a nice smallmouth from the Yakima River, caught on a 4-inch lizard. With high catches, fishing here can be a great outing with kids. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

When the birds work there, cast silver plugs along the mudline.

SHUN THE SHORE As you fish, you’ll see bank anglers catching bass after bass in Bateman’s outside upper eddy. Tempted? Resist.

These baby bass run 9 to 11 inches.

Better to spend your time over mama and papa bass offshore.

You’ll also see boat anglers paralleling the inside of Bateman Island, casting to shore. Another mistake. More small bass.

In clear water, you’ll catch most of your big smallies when you anchor at least 80 feet from the bank. Fish Carolina flukes, 14 to 18 feet deep, near the bottom.

Study your depthfinder for suspended bait. Small, suspending plugs will catch these bass.

Casting’s optional. You’ll hook many bass right under your boat.

TROLL (YES, TROLL) FOR BASS (AND CATS)

If boat traffic allows, troll a Hot Lips Xpress, which also resemble salmon smolts. (WAYNE HEINZ)

If boat traffic abates, troll ¼-ounce Hot Lips Xpress plugs, 2 to 2.5 mph, 16 to 22 feet deep. Colors: blue chrome, shad, rainbow. Troll against the current, 2 to 2.5 mph.

A bass a pass is common.

Amazingly, channel cats will whop your plugs. These cats weigh 9 to 16 pounds and fight hard.

You’ll drift half a mile down the Columbia before you net one.

Are you an impatient angler?

Settle down. Roving bass move through in waves. A dozen boat and bank anglers will catch two dozen bass in half an hour. Then nobody catches anything for an hour. Then another flurry of bites.

Pack a snack. Wait it out.

By late June, the fun is done.

Smolts have migrated below McNary Dam. Bass have scattered into the Columbia. Midchannel islands, eddies, and deep rock piles beckon. But that’s another story. NS Editor’s note: Improve your fish-finding skills. Purchase Wayne Heinz’s awardwinning book, Depthfinders – A Guide to Finding & Catching More Fish, at amazon.com, or call Amato Publications in Portland at (800) 541-9498.

120 Northwest Sportsman

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Northwest Sportsman 121

122 Northwest Sportsman

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RIG MONTH OF THE

Brass and Glass Shakin’ Rig NOTES This month we go old school with a finesse rig for black bass.

The Brass and Glass Shakin’ Rig combines sound and movement to draw strikes from even inactive fish. Work the rig by shaking the rod tip in place using a semislack line. The sound generated by the brass sinker and glass bead is key.

To construct the Brass and Glass Shakin’ Rig, begin by threading an 1 /8-ounce brass worm sinker onto the mainline, followed by an 8mm glass bead. Next, attach a 1/0 Gamakatsu Light Wire Worm Hook. To finish, insert the point of the hook into the center of the tip of a finesse worm, exiting at the bottom, a quarter-inch from the tip of the bait. Pull the hook through until the eye of the hook is hidden by the plastic.

Rotate the hook and reinsert the hook point into the body of the worm, making sure to keep the worm straight. -Mark Fong

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1/0 Gamakatsu Light Wire Worm Hook 1 /8-ounce brass worm bullet-head weight 6-pound fluorocarbon leader

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nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 123

A ďŹ shing boat sits ready to head out onto the tranquil surface of Sullivan Lake last summer. The 1,300-acre Pend Oreille County lake hosts kokanee, as well as rainbow and westslope cutthroat trout, and is where the state-record German brown was caught back in May 1965. (PATRICK LORDAN, FLICKR) 124 Northwest Sportsman

JUNE 2017 | nwsportsmanmag.com

FISHING

Works In Progress In far Northeast Washington sits a lake, pond and river system in a state of flux, but still home to trout, kokanee.

By Mike Wright

D

uring the first half of the 20th century, the lakes and rivers of extreme Northeast Washington were premier fishing destinations.

Arguably the crown jewel of the region was Sullivan Lake, a 1,300acre body of water approximately 4 miles east of Metaline Falls. The lake is located in a rather narrow valley, surrounded by high, heavily timbered mountains, and attracts a wide variety of wildlife, especially bighorn sheep.

nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 125

FISHING

In 1913, kokanee were introduced into the crystal-clear waters of Sullivan, much to the delight of the browns, rainbow and cutthroat trout. Additional kokanee were stocked annually until 1945, when the program was discontinued.

Currently there are an estimated 67,000 kokanee making their home in the lake. As one might expect, the trout preyed heavily on the small landlocked salmon and grew rapidly, often attaining what would be considered trophy size. For over 50 years, a 22-pound brown trout caught here by RL Henry has held the state record for the species.

More recently, a westslope cutthroat caught out of Sullivan in 2005 held the high mark in Washington for about 14 months.

In 1909, a ditch was constructed, diverting a sizable portion of the waters of Sullivan Creek into the lake and providing additional spawning grounds for the resident fish. The ditch was filled in a number of years later and the creek returned to its original streambed, bypassing the lake completely. This leaves only Noisy and Harvey Creeks as the spawning grounds for the trout and kokanee.

126 Northwest Sportsman

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Sullivan’s a deep lake, reaching over 300 feet in its northern half, and so you’ll probably do best to fish with either leaded line or downriggers to reach the trout and kokanee. For rainbows on the fly, you might target the mouth of Harvey Creek with streamer patterns. (MIKE WRIGHT)

As with many mountain lakes, Sullivan does not have the insect life of many lower waters. For this reason, the kokanee tend to be rather small, with the vast majority measuring less than 10 inches. Trout were stocked here for a number of years, but the program has long since been discontinued. The resident population now relies entirely on natural reproduction. Although there is not an overabundance, many of them still do reach a very impressive size, primarily by feeding on the smaller kokanee.

The majority of the fishing for browns, rainbows and cutthroat is done with leaded line and Needlefish or Rapalas in 80 to 90 feet of water.

Most of the kokanee fishing is done with Cowbells and Wedding Rings, or in some spots with jigs. There is some fly fishing available on the south end of the lake, near the mouth of Harvey Creek. Black or brown leeches and white Zonkers are the most commonly used flies.

Most of the shoreline drops off rapidly to depths of 300 feet or more, making fly fishing extremely difficult.

JUST A SHORT distance downstream

CAMPING

There are numerous Forest Service campgrounds in the area, including two at the north end of Sullivan Lake, one at Noisy Creek on its south end, and another up Sullivan Creek. Boat ramps are at either end of Sullivan, and there is an unimproved put-in on Mill Pond’s east end, at its USFS campground.

Groceries and other supplies, as well as gas, can be found in nearby Metaline and Metaline Falls. –NWS

from Sullivan sits an impoundment known as Mill Pond. It’s much shallower, with thick aquatic vegetation and a far greater insect population. The pond supports a respectable number of browns, rainbows and cutthroat, along with a smaller number of kokanee and large number of suckers. The pond averages around 63 acres, but fluctuates considerably during the year. A large earthen dam is located on the west end, with a log barricade protecting boaters from the steep, dangerous spillway.

Speaking of that spillway, it is scheduled to come out this summer, as mitigation for the relicensing of Seattle City Light’s Boundary Dam on the nearby Pend Oreille River.

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127

FISHING

A fish rise dimples Mill Pond. Through mid-July, the state has dropped all limits on rainbow, brook and brown trout, as well as burbot, because the dam at its western end is scheduled to be taken out this summer, per relicensing of nearby Boundary Dam. (MIKE WRIGHT, USFS)

Through July 16, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has waived size and possession limits on brook, brown and rainbow trout, as well as burbot, with statewide regs for other species.

Mill Pond’s shoreline is very brushy, and together with the large amount of fallen timber around the edges and protruding into the water, fishing from the bank is more than a little challenging. A boat, float tube or pontoon boat would be advisable.

Even with these floatation devices, an individual needs to be aware that there are a large number of snags throughout the pond. To avoid frustration and reduce the number of flies embedded in these snags, it would be best if a fly angler used floating line when close to shore.

There is a sizable damselfly hatch that occurs on Mill Pond, as well as a smaller dragonfly hatch. To match these hatches, it would be advisable to use a marabou damsel, Kaufmann Mini Leech, Teeny Nymph or a Carey Special. Mohair Leeches or Woolly Buggers in brown, black or peacock are also very effective. It may also be helpful to use a small nymph, such as a Prince or Pheasant Tail, or 128 Northwest Sportsman

JUNE 2017 | nwsportsmanmag.com

a San Juan Worm as a dropper.

Like Sullivan, there is not a great deal of surface action, but it may be beneficial to have some dry flies (Humpies, Royal Wulffs, Adams, etc.) along just in case.

For the lure fisherman, Rooster Tails, Mepps, Thomas Cyclones and Panther Martins are always effective. For bait fishermen, worms and PowerBait will always catch fish. However, there are a considerable number of suckers, and they are partial to bait plunked on the bottom of the pond.

Although the trout are usually less rotund and lighter than those in Sullivan Lake, a considerable number reach 20 inches or more and will put up a great fight. For that reason, it may be wise to use at least a 5-weight rod and 3X tippets.

IF SULLIVAN LAKE could be considered the crown jewel of this section of Washington, then the Pend Oreille River might be viewed as its backbone. Like the lake, the river

has gone through some dramatic changes over the last few decades.

“When I was a boy, I used to fish the Pend Oreille a lot, and could always count on catching large numbers of trout throughout the river system,” says Rick Larson, a longtime resident and avid outdoorsman. “Now, catching a trout might be considered a special occasion. What few trout that do remain seem to be found in small pockets, usually near the mouth of a feeder stream. The river is rapidly becoming a warmwater fishery, with smallmouth bass and pike being the predominate species.”

Many of the changes are due, at least in part, to the construction of a series of dams on the river during the 1950s and ’60s. The first was at Albeni Falls, located a couple miles upstream from Newport and completed in 1955, with Box Canyon Dam, between Ione and Metaline Falls, constructed in 1956.

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nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

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FISHING Metaline Falls, was completed in 1967. These three structures had a profound effect on stream flow and thus an increase in the water temperature. With that, bass, perch and other spinyray species became more and more common, while the trout population began to decline. In addition, in the early 2000s, numbers of highly predatory northern pike exploded, adding to the plight of the trout.

In Sullivan and Harvey Creeks, changes to the streambed have had a detrimental effect on the trout, both in the streams and in Sullivan Lake. Road building straightened the banks and prevented the normal meandering of the creeks.

The twists and turns of the streams created undercut banks and deeper pools, which the trout used as coldwater refuges and holding water. In addition, log jams and boulders were removed to increase

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The explosion of pike in the Pend Oreille briefly led to a brand-new fishery for Washington anglers like Kevin Bye, here with a northern he caught in 2011. But concerns over their impact on the river’s other species and downstream passage into the Columbia led to a gillnetting effort that through last year had removed 17,159, along with several hundred by anglers during “PikePalooza” derbies. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

water flow, but that also eliminated an additional number of coldwater refuges and deeper pools.

DESPITE THE DECLINE in the overall quality of trout fishing in this region of Washington, there are some exciting new programs that may

bring it back to its former glory.

When Box Canyon and Boundary Dams came due for their licensing renewal, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission solicited input from various agencies, organizations and the general public. After some consideration, it was agreed upon that there should be an emphasis on restoring and rehabilitating fish habitat in the Pend Oreille River, including Sullivan Creek and Sullivan Lake.

Although there are still a number of informational meetings, public hearings and additional proposals to be considered, work has already begun on several of the projects.

The first of these was started by the Kalispel Tribe of Indians to drastically reduce the number of northern pike in the river. Through a gillnetting program, large numbers of pike have been removed from the system and the program will continue for at least one more year.

Meanwhile, the return of a native species is being considered.

“There is a study underway to stock bull trout back into the Pend Oreille, with the anticipation of creating a self-sustaining population,” says Jason Connor, the tribe’s Fisheries Program manager.

Reducing the unwanted apex predator may give the bull trout a better chance of surviving in sufficient

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FISHING numbers to achieve this goal.

Additionally, there are plans to install a fish ladder at Albeni Falls Dam, which would be a key component in the bull trout recovery. This proposal is still in the planning stage, but there does seem to be a considerable amount of support for the project.

Seattle City Light is constructing a coldwater pipe system from Sullivan Lake into Sullivan Creek, and has started rehabilitation work on the lower sections of the creek.

The upper sections will be receiving additional rehabilitation work in the near future. This will include putting in structures to provide holding water and coldwater refuges and, in places, the meandering nature of the stream will be restored. There are also habitat improvement plans for Harvey Creek as well.

For their part, the Public Utility District of Pend Oreille County,

Managers of two dams on the Pend Oreille River will put in fish ladders to ease passage for species such as bull trout. (CURT KNAPP)

It should be pointed out that all this habitat improvement is not without controversy. One aspect of this series of habitat restoration programs is the removal of Mill Pond Dam. Since this is one of the best trout fisheries in the immediate area, the project has not been met enthusiastically by many in the angling community. Even though the loss of Mill Pond will be a blow to a number of fishermen, the habitat improvements in the creek should help make this a very productive spot for small-stream anglers.

which runs Box Canyon Dam, will be putting in a fish ladder around their structure. There is also a plan to install what has been referred to as fish-friendly coverings for the generator intakes. This would reduce the amount of fish being lost to the generator blades. There were also discussions of improving spawning areas and possibly adding a fish hatchery, although not by PUD.

THOUGH NOT THE trout fishery it once was, there are still some very large fish that make their home in Sullivan Lake, as well as Mill Pond.

These areas provide an opportunity to avoid the crowds and catch fish in a picturesque, relaxed setting surrounded by an abundance of wildlife. It is also reassuring to know that in the near future, the fishing here, as well as in the Pend Oreille River, will be even better. NS

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HUNTING

Rock Dove Love Feral pigeons are mostly hunted around Columbia Basin ag operations, but one wingshooter prefers the challenge of pursuing them in the coulees.

Author and bird hunter Rob Lyon takes in a vast Central Washington landscape in hopes of spotting wheeling feral pigeons. The species also known as rock dove is open year-round in the Evergreen State, and present wingshooters with a chance to stay sharp in the offseason, as well as help control the nonnative pigeon. (ROB LYON)

By Rob Lyon

W

e left our yurt and drove 10 minutes north. It was early in the month and we had the coulee to ourselves. Steve and I hustled along a thin trail that meandered across a rolling sagebrush bench until we pulled up at a steep drop-off where the trail tipped down into a yawning Ancient Lakes basin.

We stopped a moment to look out.

The view was stunning. A creek launched into a waterfall a stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

throw to our left. The stepped coulee basin was ďŹ lled with lakes and sagebrush. In the distance we could see a bigger fall of water spilling off the northern rim. Beyond that, over the occluded Columbia River and in the far distance, Colockum Ridge angled up and out of view into steel clouds.

My eyes veered to the right, to the basalt palisade we were looking to hunt at just about our current

elevation, a hundred-foot-high wall of crystalline basalt columns where cracks between the hexagonal pillars and broken buttresses provided roosts for pigeons. This palisade ran for maybe a quarter mile west and rimmed the northern border of Potholes Coulee. A boney rock ledge ran along the base of the rock for a hundred yards or so before it petered out in dense poison oak.

We angled to our right and worked nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 137

HUNTING Pigeon hunting mainly takes place around agricultural operations, but Lyon’s found the birds are also available in the region’s many basalt coulees, which also feature extensive public lands. Some of the best hunting is in the western Quincy Wildlife Area. (ROB LYON)

down and over to the scree slope. We struggled up to the ledge, sometimes on hands and knees, guns strapped to our backs. The basalt shards gave off a metallic ring as they moved beneath our boots.

The wall was in deep shade but held a trace of the day’s tepid heat.

Feathers and bird droppings littered the path we cautiously hiked along, peering around each small turn in the palisade. We jumped a rattlesnake sucking the last few BTUs out of the rock heat sink but saw no bird until finally we heard a telltale cooing around the corner ahead.

We walked up quietly in single file, with our shotguns ready.

There were no birds in sight. We took a few more steps to find good footing.

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“Your shot,” I said. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

Steve moved ahead of me and stopped and nodded. I clapped twice.

Half a dozen large birds rocketed out of the cracks, flapping loudly.

Steve shot twice. Two birds tumbled head over tail down onto the scree slope below. days for wingshooters. Between the end of turkey season and the opening of dove and grouse in early fall, birds far and wide have nothing to fear from two-legged predators – with the exception, that is, of rock dove or feral pigeon.

There is a pigeon season in Washington and it is year-round. Until 2004, pigeons were unclassified here;

SUMMER SPELLS DOG

technically that left them protected.

While the initiative that changed that was spurred by dog trainers wanting pigeons for training purposes, I found a number of other hunters who spoke up for the opportunity to legally hunt them on a sporting basis. Now all that is required is a small game license.

An extremely adaptable, ubiquitous bird, present on every continent but Antarctica, if memory serves, Washington has its fair share of pigeons. But the issue with hunting the speckled flyer is finding him in an appropriate hunting, or at the least, shooting context.

Typically, pigeon hunting happens around farms and ranches or grain storage facilities. Read an article on hunting pigeons and more likely than not it’ll be set outside a grain silo or a farmer’s abandoned barn, and the hunt is treated as glorified pest control. But unless you’re that farmer or that farmer’s buddy, you’re out of luck. Oftentimes, farmers/ranchers would welcome a small dent in the local population, but they’ll think twice before letting a stranger shoot around their home and animals. You have better backcountry options, in any case.

Pigeons originated on the steep seaside cliffs of the Mediterranean.

In urban areas they roost on ledges and eaves of buildings, roadway and bridge superstructures. In the Northwest, the lonely basalt palisades lining the myriad coulees in Central Washington provide fine habitat, while the surrounding agricultural fields provide plentiful feed. For upland hunters, the coulees provide a unique and adventurous hunting opportunity.

A coulee is a rimrocked basin created by flood or glacial retreat.

Look on a state map and you’ll see numerous coulees in the scablands east of the Columbia River. These resulted from the ancient Missoula Floods that scoured the area repeatedly during the ice ages. There are pigeon populations in most coulees but some of the best hunting

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Northwest Sportsman 139

HUNTING From a narrow ledge, a pigeon hunter takes aim. This is tricky shooting, and you’ll need to consider where a downed bird will fall, the author cautions. (ROB LYON)

grounds are found along the Babcock Bench, from Frenchman Coulee at the southern border, to Potholes Coulee, in the Ancient Lakes area, a distance of maybe 15 miles.

A guidebook describes the area: “Potholes Coulee consists of two, parallel, amphitheater-shaped, cataract-lined alcoves. The two alcoves are separated by a nearvertical, flood-scoured rib of basalt almost 400 feet high and a mile and half long running down the middle.

The upper ends of these alcoves form the Ancient Lake Basin on the north, and Dusty Lake Basin on the south.

An upper cataract steps up from these alcoves, forming a wild maze of butte-and-basin scabland all the way up to Quincy Lakes.”

For hunters, it’s almost entirely public land.

A GUY COULD spend a long time exploring this stuff. It is rugged, bone-dry terrain, and the aftermath of ravaging floods is stunning. The soil is fragile, a thin cryptogamic crust composed of lichens and mosses, and we try and stay on established trails as much a possible. Old jeep roads that lead out across sagebrush flats onto coulee basins are closed to motor vehicles. We brought in our mountain bikes, once; between the deep sand and the rocks, we found 140 Northwest Sportsman

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it wasn’t worth it. Access from up top along the canyon rims is often easier, but if you don’t find a chute, chimney or trail down to the base of the palisades, you’re out of luck because you won’t be able to retrieve your kill.

We have our favorite haunts after years of exploration, but when

we look for new pigeon habitat we use several keys. Finding where a colony of birds roosts is key. Watch for where they’re flying into or out of their roosts or perched atop basalt columns. Pigeons are gregarious and like to flock up. Oftentimes, they’re chilling in the cracks in the columns, or they’re off on a food run to a

A day in the coulees yielded five pigeons for the author and his hunting partner, taking a breather beside a runoff stream. It’s hard work, but the rock dove of Washington’s basaltlands can be a worthy quarry for bird hunters. (ROB LYON)

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nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

Northwest Sportsman 141

HUNTING Lyon cleans a pigeon in preparation for the pot. (ROB LYON)

nearby field.

If there are no birds in sight, we look for white guano stains on black basalt. If we’re close enough to hear cooing, of course, we’re gold. And given that we don’t have a chance of hitting birds that roost out of shotgun range, we look for palisades under, say, 150 feet in height. Finally, there needs be a trail of some sort along the base of a palisade, which there most often is.

If you are lucky enough to find a large colony of birds on an approachable cliffside, they’ll provide regular action as they fly out and circle around and come back for a landing. And if you have enough lateral cliff to hunt, you can cycle back to the beginning and find rested birds to hunt again.

We strap our guns for this kind of hunting, as it involves long hikes to and from the shooting zones with no worry about jumping a

DUTCH OVEN DOVE Pigeon are delicious, with very dark meat like duck. We like to stuff whole birds with sweet onion, green onion, green pepper and garlic. Cover birds with strips of bacon.

Splash with Worcestershire. Douse whole concoction with beer and bake on hot coals for 30 minutes plus. –RL

bird and because we want both hands free for climbing the cliffs and slipping through narrow chutes and scrambling across the scree.

On site, we split up to explore, keeping in touch with two-way radios. Besides covering more ground, we have the benefit of the volleyball effect, whereby birds rousted by one hunter will wing past the other guy’s position, and vice versa.

Clapping will often put reluctant birds up. As with all types of hunting, and wingshooting more than most, give some thought to where a bird will fall before you shoot. This is steep country and more often than not birds will land on a scree slope below the trail. Mark him well; they are easy to lose in the rock shards. After a fair amount of climbing around on the scree slope you’ll find yourself factoring a falling trajectory into each shot. Landing a bird on the ledge, of course, sticks it, even the bank shots.

Note that Frenchman Coulee is a popular rock-climbing destination.

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Northwest Sportsman 143

HUNTING Among the area’s accommodations is Cave B, set amongst the vineyards at the very edge of the cliffs above the Columbia and next to the Gorge Amphitheater.

It offers luxury rooms, as well as yurts. (ROB LYON)

RESOURCES Lodging/Dining: A word on the Cave B complex (cavebinn.com/our-inn). Together with a cluster of yurts, the inn, the Cliffehouse accommodations, the Cavern Rooms, a sprawling winery, Tendrils restaurant and a spa, it sits out on a sagebrush steppe upon ancient basalt breaks above the Columbia River, in the absolute middle of the best hunting coulees.

The architectural vision of the resort is stunning.

Earth based and nestled integrally into the volcanic bench, the cliff-hugging buildings suggest a kind of retro Anasazi colony.

Cave B has everything you (or your wife) might want. The Gorge Amphitheater is adjacent to (and was originally part of) Cave B, and a Bob Dylan/ pigeon hunt combo is not much of a stretch.

Weaponry and ammunition: We shoot 28-gauge Rugers with size 6 shot, running a jampacked 1-ounce Winchester Super-X load out the first barrel, then a high speed ¾-ounce Federal Wing-Loc copper-plated load down the second.

Hunting: To keep track of your location, try the maps at these links: apps.wdfw. wa.gov/gohunt, onxmaps.com and terrainnavigator.com. –RL

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Northwest Sportsman 145

When you drive down Silica Road you’ll see an enormous coulee with a stream and a waterfall off to your right. There are pigeon roosts in many spots along the half circle of rimrock.

If you drive down a bit and pull in to your left, you’ll see an interpretive signboard and a small amphitheatershaped bowl, and maybe some rigs parked in among the sagebrush.

This is a popular camping locale for climbers. South of here is Echo Basin, a stunning coulee very popular with climbers. It is equally popular with pigeons. Climbers and hunters do not the best of bedfellows make. But if you can manage to find your way onto the ledge at the base of Sunshine Wall in Echo Basin when there are no humans hanging from ropes, you may have some extraordinary shooting and a view you aren’t likely to forget. Tip: Camp nearby and hunt at dawn before the climbers show up; in midsummer, go midweek. Be sure to pick up your shells.

IT WAS DUSK by the time we reached the creek at the cliff edge. We rinsed our hands in the cold water, threw our guns over our shoulders and our hands in our pockets to warm, and got back on the trail. Twenty minutes later we found the rig (with the help of the GPS) and fired up the heater.

Ten minutes after that we pulled to a stop in the dark beside the yurts.

Yurts are pretty cool. You can sense your surroundings, yet remain warm and comfortable, out of the cold and wind. You might hear rain pittering on the skin roof, catch a glimpse of moon and stars through the skylight, hear the yip and howl of coyotes in the distance. I felt like some kind of nouveau nomadic Mongolian hunter, as I relaxed and cracked a beer. And rubbed some liniment on a stiff neck, the biggest caveat of hunting overhead birds. But instead of grilling our dinner on a stick over an open fire, we stashed them in the freezer and walked a short distance to a gourmet restaurant to catch the Sounders game and supper. NS 146 Northwest Sportsman

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Northwest Sportsman 147

148 Northwest Sportsman

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Wing Training

COLUMN

S

tarting at eight weeks of age I like introducing a wing to a pup. If this happens at nine or 10 weeks, that’s fine, but GUN DOGGIN’ 101 you want to introduce

By Scott Haugen it at a young age so they learn what a wing smells like.

When introducing a wing for the first time, do it calmly. You don’t want the pup getting all fired up and out of control. Remember, in last month’s column we keyed on teaching the sit, stay and come commands. Introducing a wing is done while simultaneously reinforcing these control commands, as the pup, even at this young age, must learn what restraint is and what it looks like in various situations.

INTRODUCE THE WING by holding it in your hand. Don’t toss it on the ground or throw it where the pup has to run after it. You want to be in control and make sure the pup is comfortable with the new object.

Some pups take the whole wing in their mouth right away; some may be wary of big primary feathers.

Make sure the wing is cut at a joint, not broken. Bird wing bones are hollow, and if a pup chomps down on sharp, broken edges of a bone, it can be a setback.

Hold the pup in your lap and bring the wing to it. Let the pup smell the wing; if it wants to mouth it, great, let it. If the pup takes to it right away, then set the pup down and move the wing around to see if the pup will follow it.

This builds interest and capitalizes on the pup’s natural desires, while at the same time teaching restraint.

If the pup will take the wing in its mouth, let it have it. It’s OK to initially let the pup run with the wing. This is how it learns to run with the object and carry it so as not to trip over any long feathers.

Starting with a wing from a smaller game bird, like a dove, quail or teal, can

Tying a bird wing to a fishing pole helps the pup focus on the wing so it doesn’t associate it with you, the trainer. It’s a good way to bring out the pup’s instincts to stalk, pounce, point and track objects in the air.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

be good, especially while the pup is gaining its coordination.

Let the pup have the wing for 30 seconds or so, and as you approach, calmly say “Sit ... stay.” Again, this builds on last month’s column’s objectives, while letting the pup know you’re the boss. If the pup tries to run off, be more stern with your voice.

When the pup gives up the wing to you, praise it. That’s it for training session number one.

Repeat the same thing two days later. Each session is less than two minutes. The two objectives are to take the wing away from the pup while it still desires it, and to let it know you are in control. As a result, the pup is

learning restraint while still having fun with the wing.

KEEP WINGS FROM several of your game birds. I keep a collection in the freezer just for wing introduction and training. Doves, pigeons, quail, pheasant, chukar, a variety of ducks – even geese – are all good to have on-hand, and carry different smells.

Bigger wings can be introduced as the pup grows.

As the pup gains more interest, tie a wing to a fishing pole. I’ll usually do this on training session number three or four.

The goal is to move the pup’s focus away from you and your hand, and put it on the wing.

Put the wing on the ground where the nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

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COLUMN dog can see it, then twitch the rod to see the pup’s reaction. Most likely the pup will respond by either jumping on the wing or stalking it. The instincts a pup has are impressive. You’re job is to simply bring them out at a young age.

Once the pup starts chasing the wing on the ground, dangle the wing in the air.

This will teach the dog to look up, a skill that will be invaluable when it comes to locating the birds you’re hunting in the air, and marking them once hit and falling to the ground.

As the pup grabs the wing on the fishing rod, avoid getting into a tug-ofwar match. Of course the pup will want to run off, but calmly restrain the pup and let it know this is not a toy. Keep it fun, but also maintain control of the pup with your sit and stay commands. Keep communication simple and sharp, and not too wordy, as this will only confuse the pup.

I only work with wings about three times a week, less than two minutes each

session. The dog’s instincts are there, you just want to accentuate them and build the pup’s confidence.

AS PUP MATURES, the progression to fetching the wing comes next. In a future column we’ll take a look at different ways to introduce wings for retrieving.

Until then, have fun with it, build on the pup’s innate behaviors and stimulate its developing brain as much as you can.

You’re on the way to developing a good gun dog. NS Editor’s note: To watch some basic dog training video tips by Scott Haugen, check out his Facebook page, or visit the blog at talltimberpudelpointers.com.

It’s OK to let the pup run off with the wing the first time it’s introduced, as this will develop its confidence and build familiarity with the object.

Be sure not to let the pup run too far, using your sit and stay commands to control the dog. While it’s new and fun, the pup needs to know you are in control. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

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BALANCE

COLUMN

In The

Backcountry

I

t was when I started shaking involuntarily that I realized I might have pushed myself too hard. I had hiked 5 miles out onto the tundra north of the Brooks Range in Alaska, then dropped my 60-pound pack and headed out after a caribou. Several hours and later I returned to camp, lightheaded, shaking and pale.

CHEF IN THE WILD 7 miles My father and cousin asked if I was OK. I mumbled something

By Randy King about needing to eat. As quick as I could I ate my dinner – cured wild boar loin, black coffee and Stouffer’s Stove Top Stuffing. I passed out and awoke in the predawn light with a huge headache. It took me half the morning to feel “normal” again. As best my doctor can tell, my blood sugar had dropped to a dangerous level. I had used up all

High in Washington’s northern Cascades, Ryan Brooks refuels his fire while searching for deer with his dad, Jason. (JASON BROOKS) nwsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2017

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COLUMN Curried “bear” and rice soup – wild game or other meat can be substituted. (RANDY KING)

Bear And Rice Soup

T

his recipe calls for “bear” meat, but honestly, any protein will work.

Slice thin to win with this stuff. Even the most leathery jackrabbit meat will be rendered tender if it is sliced thin enough. Just ask your local Mongolian barbecue place.

¼ cup instant brown rice 2 tablespoons dehydrated vegetables (bulk from the grocery store) 2 tablespoons curry powder 2 tablespoons coconut milk powder (available online and in some grocery stores) Salt and pepper

Curried “Bear” and Rice Soup (Serves one – designed for backpacking) 1 tablespoon canola oil 4 ounces bear meat, sliced super thin 1½ cups water

In a small backpacking soup pot, add the canola oil. Heat until almost smoking, then add the bear meat. Brown the meat, then add the water to the pan. Bring to a boil.

Next add the rice, dehydrated

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vegetables, curry powder and coconut milk powder to the water. Turn to a simmer and stir. Cover and let cook for five minutes on low. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Pro tip: The rice, veggies, curry powder and coconut milk should be premixed at home and stored in a Ziploc bag. That way you only take what you need into the bush and are not measuring stuff in the backcountry.

For more wild game recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK

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COLUMN the food energy I had eaten that day and my body was consuming its own muscles for energy. This is a common occurrence for endurance athletes, but if you’re a weekend warrior like myself, burning fuel like that is dangerous – especially in grizzly bear country. I should have known better.

My diet needed regulating – I was expending fuel, but not taking any in. I had snacks in my bag; I just wasn’t eating them. I was too busy hiking and looking for caribou. My poor food choices led me to make mistakes that could have cost me my life. Since then I have kept a closer eye on my consumption of food in the backcountry. Managing intake, especially on an extended backpack hunt, can be critical. Pack too little food and you might end up hungry and doing foolish things. Pack too much food and you have wasted energy.

Back at camp later that morning, I needed to get my calorie intake in check. I caught a big grayling out of the stream we had camped next to and cooked it up with a bit of sweet coconut powder, a pinch of curry and some minute brown rice. I quickly had a hot stew of curried grayling and rice. After about an hour my body just felt “better” than it had in two days.

Why? Balance. Not only do you need to consider total calorie count with food, but you need to consider the nutritional benefits of what you are bringing. I had ignored the signs and let my body deprive itself of proper nutrients.

AS LUCK WOULD have it, I went to a recent seminar on backcountry nutrition. The speaker was Heather Kelly of Heather’s Choice, and she was explaining that the proper mix of calories in the backcountry is vital to success. That mixture looks something like: * 30 percent fat – the “fuel” for the fire.

Fat from nuts and fish are best, nutritionally, but chocolate, summer sausage and hot cocoa are good sources as well. * 50 percent carbs, i.e. complex carbs – the sustained burn on the trail. Foods like brown rice and whole-wheat pasta are best, as they take your gut a lot longer to digest than “simple” carbs (white rice and white flour noodles). This longer span of 156 Northwest Sportsman

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HEATHER’S NUTRITIONAL CHOICES Heather Kelly says she’s “always had an appreciation for healthy delicious food,” and these days the Alaskan with a degree from Western Washington University in evolutionary nutrition runs Heather’s Choice, a company producing tasty, just-addwater breakfasts and dinners for backcountry adventurers. I recently spoke with her about how to improve my diet while hunting.

Randy King: Out in the bush I tend to eat like crap. Does that affect my performance while hunting?

Heather Kelly: Yes, the quality and quantity does have a dramatic impact on your backcountry experience, as well as your long-term health. While one meal will not wreck your health, if you plan on spending a lot of nights out each year, the damage done by poor quality food can start to take a toll.

RK: What can I do to supplement my dried food rationing?

HC: In order to supplement your dried food rations, you want to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. When you eat fresh food, you can meet some of your hydration needs simply from the food you eat. Once you have figured out how you’re going to drink enough water, you also want to make sure you’re replacing the sodium that you lose through sweating. The bare minimum amount of sodium we need to survive is 500 milligrams per day, while we can lose a couple hundred milligrams per hour when we sweat. Make sure there is a good amount of sodium in the meals and snacks you have packed for the trail.

Additionally, I would encourage you to look at the protein, carbohydrate and fat content of your daily rations, and strive to get a balance of all three, rather than packing mostly simple carbohydrates or poor-quality fats.

RK: Protein seems to be important – how much should a 200-pound guy get in a day, and how do I do that in that backcountry for a week?

HC: Getting enough protein in the backcountry is a real challenge. For a 200-pound guy, I would recommend getting 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

This might mean you have at least 160 grams of protein to get each day. You can do this with a good quality jerky, some nuts and seeds, a high-protein dinner, and highquality cheeses.

RK: What separates your products from the competition on the nutritional scale?

HC: What sets Heather’s Choice apart from the competition is our selection of ingredients. We use only healthy, whole ingredients to create nutritious meals and snacks for the backcountry. Our products provide you with easily digestible fats, lean, sustainably sourced protein, and complex carbohydrates.

RK: Balance seems key – but on the hunt, I am never really balanced. Either I am camped on a ridge glassing for animals or I am pounding up a mountainside. How do you balance that out?

HC: Our experiences in the backcountry will rarely feel “balanced.” We are always pushing ourselves to the edge or past our comfort zone, which can be a beneficial stress on the body. Since the climate and exposure is generating stress, you can strive for balance by focusing on high-quality nutrition and hydration to help your body recover.

RK: I remember getting back to camp on the tundra during a caribou hunt and I was physically shaking. I ate my food, passed out and woke up with a screaming headache in the morning. What did I do to my body and how could I have prevented it?

HC: Screaming headache? I would guess hydration – if you were pushed to your limits, you might have not rehydrated enough to fully recover. You know when you get a hangover? It’s largely from dehydration. –RK

DESTINATION ALASKA

Nutritional guru and Alaska resident Heather Kelly shows off a sockeye. The salmon is featured in one of her company’s meals.

(HEATHER’S CHOICE)

digestion makes them a more reliable source of energy. * 20 percent protein – the coals for the fire. Protein is the recovery food for the trail.

It helps the body repair itself when you sleep.

Meat is the best option for this, stuff like jerky, cheeses and – my favorite – wild game.

Looking back at what I used to take into the backcountry in terms of nutrition, I saw I was skipping a few things as far as food groups were concerned. My diet was mostly low-grade carbohydrates –

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GREAT BACKCOUNTRY SNACKS Pemmican, like the recipe I gave in the October 2016 issue of Northwest Sportsman, is a great source for fat, sugar and protein. An old mountain man and Native American travel staple, it holds for years and has just about all the calories and nutrition a hardworking person needs.

GORP – “good ol’ raisins and peanuts,” aka trail mix – is well known to backpackers and hunters alike because While there are a host of grab-and-go choices for snacking in the backcountry, last fall author Randy it works. Nuts provide the fat, chocolate King shared how to make pemmican from venison jerky, gives you the sugar/carbs, and the huckleberry jam and coconut oil. (RANDY KING) raisins are great little energy pills.

Hard cheese and jerky – the often-skipped food group on backcountry hunts – is protein. A hard cheese, one that does not require refrigeration, has fat, protein and salt.

All three are essential for proper backcountry nutrition. While jerky is inherently lean meat, it is a very good way to get protein into the diet. Your body will eventually start consuming its own lean muscle mass if it is deprived of protein for too long. This will cause you to get tired faster. –RK like Stove Top Stuffing – and lean meats.

While not horrible-bad, I wasn’t giving my body any fats or sugars, for that matter. I was setting myself up for failure. Recalling my caribou hunt on the tundra, when

I ate the coconut milk soup, I filled my stomach with what it needed: protein from the fish, fat from the coconut and complex carbs from the brown rice. I felt better because I had eaten better. NS

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Brought To You By:

KICK-EEZ

®

COLUMN Author Dave Workman says now is the time to be mounting a new scope or buying a new rifle/ scope combination and taking it to the range.

(DAVE WORKMAN)

3 Reasons To Mount That New Scope Now S

ummer arrives later this month, and if you’ve bought, or are planning to buy a new scope, or a new rifle and scope, ON TARGET

By Dave Workman do it now!

It would be a shame to waste all of this available evening sunlight on naps in a hammock.

There are three reasons for getting this task completed now, during the warmweather months: Accuracy.

Accuracy.

Accuracy.

And this doesn’t even touch on the

fourth reason: meat in the freezer and a notched tag.

Speaking of, according to a recently released survey from Responsive Management, a growing number of American hunters say that meat is their most important reason for hunting. The survey had data from 2008, 2013 and 2017 and revealed that the second most important reason for hunting today is for sport and recreation, though that reason has consistently declined in importance over the past nine years, from 33 percent in 2008 to 27 percent this year.

The survey firm’s executive director, Mark D. Duda, observed, “Whereas the sport or recreation was the most popular reason for hunting roughly a decade ago

(when about one in three hunters gave this answer), hunters beginning in 2013 have most often named the meat as their primary motivation for going afield. And while the percentages of hunters naming one of the other three reasons have declined or remained flat over the past decade, the proportion of hunters who say they hunt mostly for the meat has almost doubled.”

In 2008, 22 percent of survey respondents named meat as their motivation, but this year that percentage has risen to 39 percent, according to Duda’s report.

The report quoted Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who observed that food “tastes doubly better when you’ve hunted

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COLUMN

Brought To You By:

Handloaders often have a device called a chronograph for measuring the speed of a bullet as it leaves the muzzle at the range. This is invaluable when zeroing a rifle to determine bullet drop at longer distances, by consulting ballistics charts in the back of a reloading manual. (DAVE WORKMAN)

KICK-EEZ

®

Zeroing in a rifle often requires “walking” your rounds from left or right into the 10-ring. (DAVE WORKMAN)

the animal yourself.”

Big thumbs up for that.

FOR MANY YEARS I’ve watched people wait until the weekend before a hunting season opener to zero their rifles. People show up at the range and shoot, and shoot, and shoot until their barrels are too hot to touch. The heat signature rising off those barrels can distort the scope image, and it doesn’t do any good for barrel life or accuracy.

Here are some tips to assure your efforts aren’t being wasted: • Check your scope mounts for tightness. Loose scope bases will prevent even the most skilled rifle shooter from zeroing his gun. Even the slightest looseness will make consistent, accurate shooting impossible.

Tighten the screws down with Blue Loctite. Once that’s done, put a drop of clear nail polish on the screw heads. This helps keep off the moisture.

Likewise, make sure your rings are tight and that the scope is carefully mounted so the crosshairs are as close to being straight 162 Northwest Sportsman

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Northwest Sportsman 163

COLUMN

Brought To You By:

up and down, side to side, as possible.

• If it has been months since you put the rifle away, before even heading to the range, clean it thoroughly. Run a cloth soaked in Hoppe’s No. 9 or Outers solvent down the bore, followed by a dry patch and then a lightly oiled patch.

Clean the dust off the bolt or out of the action, and add a drop of oil here and there as required.

• Many if not most of today’s rifles have floating barrels – that is, the barrel does not directly contact the stock ahead of the receiver. To find out whether you’ve got metal-to-wood (or polymer) contact, run a dollar bill along the underside of the barrel, from the front end of the stock back to the receiver.

• Find a ballistic table for your rifle’s caliber and the specific cartridge/load you are using. If you can’t find one online, get a reloading manual. They all have ballistic tables at the rear, and they can be indispensable.

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KICK-EEZ

Consult these tables to match the bullet weight and listed velocity (usually printed on the end flap of the cartridge box, if you use factory ammunition) to determine bullet drop at 200, 300 and even 400 yards. Those who brew up their own loads will know their bullet speed from the manuals, and many will use chronographs to confirm those speeds.

I typically zero my rifles to shoot about 2 to 2½ inches high at 100 yards. With my handloads, that puts the bullet dead-on at about 200 to 250 yards. I’ve killed deer at 350 and an estimated 400 yards in recent years using these loads, and last year my brother conked a nice three-point muley at about 150 yards using one of my loads on a slightly uphill shot.

The time to work all of this out, of course, is now when nobody is rushed; there is plenty of evening daylight to approximate the kind of light one might find in the fall early and late in the day.

®

Among the new scopes introduced this year are these two from Sig Sauer and Leupold. The former is a 2-7x32mm with a Quadplex reticle and other features, while the latter is the Oregon company’s VX-3 Long Range Precision scope for precision shooting. (SIG SAUER, LEOPOLD)

JANUARY’S S.H.O.T. SHOW saw the introduction of several new scopes for 2017. There are new models from Nikon, Sig Sauer, Leupold, Vortex, Bushnell and Leica. Now is a good time to be shopping, and once you buy, follow my earlier advice and get the scope solidly mounted and zeroed.

In the rifle arena, among the new entries is the Hell’s Canyon Long Range bolt-action model in Browning’s X-Bolt family. It’s chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 WSM and .300 WSM, plus 7mm Rem. Magnum, 26 and 28 Nosler and .300 Win. Magnum.

Winchester announced the XPR Hunter Mountain Country Range bolt-action model with a polymer stock finished in Mossy Oak Mountain Country Range camo.

It is chambered in popular calibers from .243 Winchester to .338 Win. Magnum.

Now, here’s something interesting. A new report from the National Shooting Sports Foundation shows that in Washington in 2016, the firearms and ammunition industries provided 3,286 jobs yielding $116,130,500 in direct wages.

In neighboring Oregon, it provided 2,861 jobs and $181,129,600 in direct wages.

Nationally, the industry provides a total of 301,123 jobs, and $15,183,324,700 in wages. The economic impact of all this is $51,251,443,900, the report said.

Just keep that in mind the next time some fur hugger says shooters and hunters no longer have a place in America. NS

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Back Page

Strange Bedfellows

By Dennis Dauble

W

e were 5 miles outside Orofino when BT shared reserving separate rooms at the Best Western.

“One is a dog room,” he said. “I still feel bad about leaving Crystal at home, though.

Her ears were drooping when I left.”

“How much are the rooms?” I asked.

“One hundred and five dollars, but I’m willing to share one if we can cancel.”

“You’ll have to pay for one night unless we rent one of your rooms,” we could hear the front desk clerk say over BT’s cell phone.

“Put the dog room up for sale, please,” he replied sadly.

I REFLECTED BACK to other fishing trips where my sleep cycle had been disrupted.

Al got drunk once and ran out the door in his briefs after bedding down for the night. Leroy would turn the overhead light on to take a pee, just like he did at home. I had no clue what to expect from BT, given that our longest stint together was four hours on his boat.

Another traveler took the dog room, which led to BT and I shacking up. Admittedly, the first night tested our relationship. Blame it on a greasyspoon dinner, Black Box red wine and BT running off to the motel spa after I tucked myself in for the night. Luckily, time on the stream heals all wounds.

Following a four-aspirin day spent casting for complacent steelhead, our next evening’s culinary pursuits upgraded to the bar side of the Ponderosa Restaurant.

BT was in high spirits after tagging out with two hatchery hens. My desire was to shuck my role as principal net man before the trip was over. I scanned the 166 Northwest Sportsman

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daily specials before ordering a 16-ounce ribeye with hash browns, and country gravy on the side. There’s something about a hangover that begs for greasy food. BT grew weary of reviewing the detailed four-page menu and ordered the same.

We headed for the salad bar, where BT loaded up with beets, green peppers, cottage cheese, garbanzo beans, mayonnaise-infused macaroni and alfalfa sprouts. I hoped the combination would not prove lethal to his digestive tract and haunt me in the night. Sticking with basic rabbit food, I topped my creation of iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli with chunks of good stuff scraped from the bottom of the Roquefort container.

B.T. PROVED TO be a congenial roommate, despite his predilection for midnight soaks and exotic salad, which begs the question, how far should you go to save a few bucks on an extended fishing trip? You may have downed a pitcher of beer, swapped tall tales and commuted together, but these activities do not test your mettle like sharing a motel room having two double beds close enough to reach across and steal a blanket. (Not that you would.)

At your feet is a big-screen TV. A radio alarm clock rests beside a single-switch lamp on a nightstand near a pillow you hope will not crick your neck. The rug smells of Lysol and peppermint. A thin chenille curtain fails to mask the intrusion of a parking-lot floodlight.

A particular challenge for overnight fishing trip “virgins” is choosing a safe side of the bed. You don’t want to bump into the other guy in the night, and you don’t

(DENNIS DAUBLE)

want to look him in the eye when you roll over. Preferably, you don’t even sense he is there. On the other hand, it’s difficult to ignore sleepy-time behaviors that include him talking in his sleep, tooting, groaning, rolling around, sneezing, coughing, cooing, belching, scratching, nose whistling and visiting the toilet multiple times. Then there is the sound of his phone messages in the night.

Ding.

Bzzz.

Ping!

BEST CASE IS your companion turns out like BT: considerate, communicative and respectful of your privacy. He will ask if you prefer to shower at night or in the morning, what time you want to get up, and when you are ready to turn the TV off and get some shuteye. He could be like my brother Dusty, who carries a small flashlight enabling him to politely read a paperback under his bed cover while I nod off. (My other brother, Daran, enjoyed stretching his underpants over my head while I slept.) An ideal roommate lets you be yourself, tolerates your Pandora playlist and stops for milkshakes on the way home.

Worst case is your first-time roommate goes to the motel bar, picks up a chick and brings her back to the room to say “Hi.” Worse yet, he asks you to leave the room for an hour while they get better acquainted.

In which case, you should have opted for the dog room.

And the wine. NS

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